


Dumped

by vegapolarnorth



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, F/M, M/M, Other, POV First Person, team punk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-12 22:12:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18019424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vegapolarnorth/pseuds/vegapolarnorth
Summary: The war has been over for several years now and the paladins have been able to do normal things for once. Like have a paying job and a relationship. Team Punk is quick to realize that one of the many wonderful aspects of the dating dynamic includes getting dumped. Turns out dating sucks about as much as inter-galactic warfare. Fortunately for them the one thing they can always count on is their friendship (emphasis on ship). Hunk and Pidge support each other through their full-fledged relationship experiences as they work their way back into this niche we call regular civilian life on Earth (with some help from friends).





	1. Till Ways do us Part

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my first stories that I've started so be kind. I really feel that 1st makes these uncomfortable confusing feelings easier to feel. To me a big part of dating that is really hard is the fact that you can never, ever be inside your partner's head. You will never absolutely, wholly, completely, definitively, exactly know how your other half truly thinks and feels outside of what they show and tell you. And even then it is subject to interpretation.
> 
> You just have to trust them, figure out how to trust and know yourself, and hope for the best.

-Hunk's POV-

 

Things are a lot quieter these days than they had been since the moment we all piled into the blue lion and wormholed to Arus. They were even quieter since Allura had made the ultimate sacrifice to restore all realities and bring peace back to the universe. It had been five years since that fateful day when it was clear that Voltron was no longer needed. Five much quieter years. Although diplomacy suits me and the work had been quite fulfilling for a while, things were surprisingly beginning to feel a little stale.

_To think I of all people could possibly become bored of a life that is so peaceful and perfect. Me. The guy who used to balk at anything that seemed even remotely scary or difficult or alien._

_Guess the war changed me._

I scoffed at myself while I sat at my desk browsing through emails. I built my own computer two years ago. It was nice having something techy to maintain since I haven't been doing much with my hands besides cooking these days. My computer rivals Pidge's. Quite impressive actually, but of course she gave a tip or two here and there.

Dark bangs tumbled over an orange headband tied neatly around my forehead and I ran my hand through them before returning to my keyboard. "Hmm..." I pondered even though I knew exactly what I was looking for. Exactly what I was going to do. I lifted my hand again to scratch a mature goatee resting under my chin. I was too big of a man to be this nervous and fidgety.

"I'm a master chef with the most extraordinary cooking team this reality has and ever will see. I have cooked dishes I never even imagined and yet..."

I clicked on last week's email from the Garrison and reread it. Again. I've probably read it 20 times since the new job offer had first pinged in my inbox. Exactly 22 minutes after it arrived in the queue there sat an overwhelmingly enthusiastic email (an email that looked like it had taken 21 minutes to write) from Pidge. She had practically begged me to accept the position. I have read her email an equal number of times.

I finished the second email too and chuckled despite my anxiety at still not having the courage to break the news on my recent decision. "She'd probably sell her soul if that's what it took to get us working together again."

_But she didn't have to._

The Garrison was constantly developing new tech to advance research and space exploration. The Holt family's work there the last five years had been paramount to their continued success. Sam and Matt were off to start a two year voyage and Pidge was now being left without her prime team members. She was... Struggling to connect with her current colleagues and, it seemed, she had reached a bit of a mental impasse. Pidge had been awarded a grant to start work on a new ship based on her astounding research into the nature of quintessence that would revolutionize the energy required to power ships during space travel. But there was one condition: the board would not allow her to start work until a suitable lead engineer was signed on to her team. One that she could be guaranteed to effectively and _amicably_ coordinate with for the next 4 years.

"And that's where I come in." I sighed.

The funny thing is I knew the moment I read the Garrison's offer that I would take it... I've already accepted. All that needs to be finalized is the HR paperwork. And I've called and talked to Pidge nearly every evening this week. We've collabed and extensively outlined the work we have planned for the first month alone... Hell, she's already arranged for me to sign on to the lease for her apartment 6 months from now when I move back... I just haven't had the guts to tell Shay...

Shay and I spent the last three years working as master chefs. We traveled far and wide hosting dinners for diplomats to spread peace throughout the universe. But most of that work was complete now and it's clearly time to move on to other things. Shay had moved back home to Balmera several months ago. Meanwhile, I stayed here on Earth to enjoy Earth things for a while before moving to Balmera to settle down. This new job would directly interfere with our plans for the next step in our relationship, to say the least.

"You've just gotta bite the bullet, Hunk. This is the exciting new _something_ you've been waiting for. If you're really meant to be she'll support you. It'll all work out. She should be excited for you..."

Logging out of my email I turned in my seat and pulled up the holographic display. Keying a few commands, I sent a video chat request to Shay. "Here goes nothing."

Shay's earthy Balmeran face lit up on the display. "Hunk, hello!"

_She looks so sweet and kind but she won't in a second. Not once I open my big dumb mouth..._

"Hi sweetie! So, I have some news. And I wanted to talk to you about it. Are you busy?"

"Not at all! I was hoping you would call. I have been discussing engagement plans with Grandmother. We're making progress on how to combine both of our cultures' traditions." She smiled, pleasantly proud of herself.

_Perfect._

"Yeah, about that. It's not a major hiccup. It's just..."

"Hunk." Shay's eyes narrowed "what do you mean?"

_I mean I'm delaying our plans. Again._

"It's not bad, it'll be good for us. Uhm... I uh..." I nervously scratched my head at the base of my skull "...accepted an engineering position here on Earth with the Garrison. It's for a four year project to build a new ship."

"Hunk! You cannot be serious!" Shay was yelling now. She never yelled. Not unless it was for joy. Or for cookies or kittens. "We cannot delay our plans any longer. We have already pushed things back enough as it is. It is time for us to be here at home. Our home. With my family. Together. You must tell them you will not accept. When did this news come in?"

_This is going south. Way far south._

"Well the offer was extended a week ago... When I accepted it. I can't take it back, Shay. Pidge and I have already begun organizing our plans. I want to do this. I'm tired of this work -"

"You accepted a four year position on another planet a week ago without consulting me?!" Shay looked more like her brother Rax when she was angry. "How can we begin to share our lives if you make decisions without me?!"

"We can make this work. We just have to delay our plans a little longer"

"I have already waited for you. I have always waited for you." Shay's shoulders sank as she looked down into her lap. She let out a curt sigh before resuming but she did not look up at me. "You will not be doing this kind of work any longer. You will find new work at home. On Balmera. I will not wait. You will come home or you will not. But I will not wait."

"We have managed long distance all this time. We can still do that."

"Hunk, are you coming home?" Her eyes stared fiercely down at her lap from beneath her rocky brow.

"I... I am taking the job on Earth." I managed to squeeze the words past the lump in my throat. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I anticipated what was coming next.

"Then this relationship is no more. I am sorry, Hunk." The display blinked off and Shay was gone.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I gasped and choked on my sobs as I started to cry and shake. Fat hot tears streamed down my face. I felt completely numb, like time was warping around me and I couldn't bring my eyes into focus even to see the grain of my desk right in front of me. _I'm such an idiot. I love her then why can't I choose her?!_ I leaned forward in my chair with my face in my hands, crumpling in on myself. _What the hell is wrong with me?! I should have been happy. It should have been simple to turn down. I was supposed to get married for crying out loud! Almost two years down the drain..._

After some time I sat up and wiped my face with my shirt. I slowed my breathing as if I could actually compose and regain myself. _Yeah right_. Then I pulled Pidge's name up on the display and called her.

"Hunk! I was just about to call you. Something just felt off and I began to worry. Whoa... Hey, what's going on?"

Her short brown hair was disheveled as it normally was after 9:00pm. She was sitting with her legs crossed on her bed dressed in a green tank top and sweat pants. It was evident that Pidge immediately realized I was crying despite the lights being out in my room because I saw her delight in receiving my call quickly replaced with concern.

"Pidge... I just... I... Shay broke up with me... Pidge... I just don't know." Speaking about it was making me cry harder all over again.

"Hunk! I'm so sorry! What happened?! You two have been doing so well. Or at least I thought... I'm shocked."

_She can't know. If I tell her Shay dumped me because I took the job she'll call everything off. Then I'll really have nothing..._

So I stretched the truth a little. "Things just haven't been quite right, Pidge. I don't know right now. I just need to process."

"Do you want me to talk to her? Maybe I can help?" She looked at me searchingly as if she could discern everything for herself if she looked closely enough at my stricken face. I secretly feared that she could.

"No... It's okay... Thank you. Just with the wedding and these big life choices... We haven't been agreeing. That can't be helped. We just want different things... I guess..." I sniffed. The tears were beginning to subside. This sucked. My heart panged and ached. But having Pidge there up on the screen was helping. It always helped.

"I understand. I won't interrogate you anymore." She paused. Her eyes lit up and a crooked smile began to curl up on one side of her mouth. "Hunk, today's Friday. Which means I don't work tomorrow. And with the nature of your job you never actually clock in. You can take tomorrow off, no questions asked." Pidge's smile had spread ear to ear as she leaned forward with a compelling air. "I know you know exactly what this calls for."

"I don't know if I have it in me. Really." I pleaded meekly meeting her inviting gaze.

"Well you can either join me or stay up alone. C'mon, we both know you aren't sleeping any tonight. And this is an emergency. So it's time to break into the emergency supplies." She hopped out of her bed and scrambled out of the dark room. I could hear her rummaging through the cabinets in her kitchen.

Pidge and I haven't lived on the same ship in years. And, let's be honest, most of the time I wasn't even on this planet. But we have somehow managed to be there for each other as if we were roomies. The tradition really got started after Pidge came home from one horrible day. I mean a _horrible_ day. I'll spare you the details, but that evening she called me and we ended up getting drunk off rum while watching Voltron Defender of the Universe and eating peanut butter cookies until the early hours of the morning. That was _our thing_ now. One of us has a God awful day, calls, and then we presume to drink, talk, and fangirl over VDOTU for hours. We call it Bacardi and cookie party. Pidge was calling for this assembly now.

She stumbled back into the room tripping over who knows what. _She is such a messy hoarder._ Pidge sat back in her bed and crossed her legs all the while cradling a bottle of rum, a bottle of soda, and a bag of cookies in her left arm. In her right hand she held her neatly prepped drink in a plastic Galaxy Garrison tumbler cup. "Where's your stuff? We're doing this." She scowled.

I laughed. I couldn't help myself. I felt like a dejected sack of shit. But I honestly needed our party for two more than anything right now and Pidge knew it. I pulled open the drawer beside my desk and dug up my supplies. "I'm going to get some ice and soda." Pidge beamed back with a triumphant look on her face. _No reply needed._ I gripped my bottle of rum by the neck and hurried to fix my drink.

"Alright, almost ready." I said when I returned to the room. I moved the display over to the nightstand beside my bed so we could still talk while we watched cartoons and boozed.

Pidge was visibly excited, hovering her finger over the play button while she waited for me to settle into my bed. "Okay, when I get to three press play. Ready?"

"Ready when you are!"

"One, two, three!"


	2. 14 Hours

-Pidge's POV-

 

A big lump lay snoring in the bed still pictured on the display to my left while I sat tapping away on my computer from my own bed. I had been up for the last hour while Hunk slept away.

_Poor guy._

He was so sweet and tenderhearted. I couldn't imagine what he must be feeling... Or would be feeling when he woke up. I don't remember falling asleep last night. Regardless, neither of us ever logged off of the video chat. I was going to log off when I got up to feed the space caterpillars this morning but I stopped short when a thought crept into my mind that made my heart weak. I contemplated Hunk waking up alone which brought back a conversation I had with Lance about Allura leaving and how he had dealt with it all. He had said that "the worst part is waking up in the morning and remembering everything that happened the day before is real."

Allura hadn't dumped Lance, but she wasn't here in the same sense anymore either. I have never broken up with anyone myself... but I imagine once Hunk wakes up reality will come crashing down on him all over again. The thought made me wince.

So here I find myself. Sitting quietly. Waiting.

I noticed something moving from the corner of my eye that roused me from my thoughts. "Ughh... Ohh... quiznak." The man rolled over and squinted as he opened his eyes to me. "Pidge? What're you doing still online?"

"Ehh... We both fell asleep with the chat on last night. So when I got up this morning I just figured I'd wait up for you. I hope you don't mind." I smiled sheepishly because I had sort of been watching him sleep this whole time... And it seemed a little weird now that he was awake.

Hunk turned in his bed and pulled himself upright. He wrapped his arms around the blankets molded over his legs and rested his head on his knees. "So I guess it's really over, huh? Hmpf... Thanks for sticking around..." He mumbled glumly into his blankets.

I couldn't tell whether or not I heard tears creeping up in his voice again so I changed the subject. "Actually, I have been thinking and I wanted to ask you something." He didn't respond so I proceeded. "Why don't you come stay at my place this week? I need help moving all of my junk out of the spare bedroom. We can start getting it ready for you."

Hunk had lifted his head to look at me now. His eyes were puffy and tired from crying the night before but he still managed to produce a small, amused smile. "Pidge, I don't move in for six more months. What's the rush?"

"There's no rush... I'm just worried about you being alone right now that's all. You need to keep your mind off of things. And besides that, I miss my best friend. A visit would be good for both of us."

Hunk looked like he wanted to consent but was grappling for excuses not to. "Don't you have plans with Nathan this weekend?"

"Not anymore. His plans changed and he won't be back for a while." I was going to keep him from falling into this slump one way or another so I put on my most persuasive smile. "I have no plans. So come stay with me. You only live two hours from here. We could do dinner tonight if you want. My treat."

Hunk yawned and shook his head, slowly easing his arms up into an exaggerated stretch. "Alright, fine! You win." He groaned. The tone of his voice was scolding but I could see in his face he was relieved. That eased the worry in my heart a little. "Lemme clean up the wreckage from last night then I'll pack a bag and be on your welcome mat later this afternoon. Sound good?"

"Sounds great." Hunk raised a closed fist. He extended his knuckles up to me and waited for a virtual bump in return. I held my knuckles up likewise to meet his and seal the deal. "I'll see you tonight. Call me if you need me."

The call ended to reveal four missed video calls from Nathan. I checked the call history. _14 hours. Sheesh_. _That's our longest call yet._ I had changed my settings to automatically send calls to voicemail during our Bacardi cookie party. I hadn't wanted any interruptions. BCP is sacred.

_I hope Nathan isn't pissed. He probably is though. He hates it when I forward calls like that without warning._

Nathan is my boyfriend of the last eight months. He's a xenologist that works for the Wimbleton Smythe Museum of Natural History. It's kind of a weird fluke that we even met, honestly. When he's not in the lab he's always outside in some wilderness somewhere. And I do not do outdoors. Still, our connection to science is what ultimately brought us together. Nathan is currently on an expedition collecting animal specimens from an uninhabited planet called T-562 Omega. I haven't seen him in two months now. He was supposed to be in town this weekend but was running behind due to 'unforeseen circumstances.' Guess it had worked out for the best though, because now I could be here for Hunk.

I heard a light ping and my eyes shifted to see a new message that populated on the screen of my laptop.

_"Cool. 14 hours. That's like our new record."_

_"What can I say? We're unstoppable!"_

I smiled and laughed through my nose. _Hopefully Hunk keeps up that good spirit until he gets here._ A couple lonely hours could feel like an eternity when you're verging on depression.

"I guess I have to call Nathan back eventually so it might as well be now..." I shifted uncomfortably in my bed while I talked to myself.

Before I could dial an incoming call popped up on the display.

_Nathan._

"Where have you been? I called a several times last night and once this morning but never got through to you." He looked concerned but overall not angry.

"I was on a call with Hunk last night. Shay broke up with him and he's taking it pretty hard." I paused a moment to see if he was receptive to listening before continuing with the latest tea. "I can't believe they're through. I mean, Hunk was supposed to move back to Balmera a while ago but he postponed plans to stay here with his family a little longer. I guess maybe she feels like he's dragging his feet or something but I don't actually know. He was too distraught to really talk about it..."

"It can't help that he's choosing to stay on Earth to build a military ship instead of a marriage."

Nathan said it so swiftly and indifferently it made me flinch. I felt oddly guilty. _For all I know I'm partially responsible for my best friend's heartbreak._

"They can still get married. It's not like she can't move here to be with him. Besides we don't know what long distance has done to them these last few months." I retorted. _Gah, am I defending Hunk or myself? Both? Nathan's not attacking me, although it sure feels like it. I need to calm down._

Nathan altered his approach. "You guys had another one of your drunken all-nighters again, didn't you?"

"Well yeah, custom demands it." I shrugged coolly.

"I don't get why you guys like that show so much. It's so cringey." He looked peeved and uninterested. He was just picking at things for the sake of picking at things now.

_So he was pissed._

"It's fun. The show's not an accurate representation of our lives, but the differences are what make it fun to watch." I was trying not to sound defensive but it was feeling more and more like I had only been called to be reprimanded. Not to mention Nathan didn't so much as blink when I told him Shay dumped Hunk. It was like it didn't matter to him. "We've been through a lot together with Voltron and the show is an outlet for us to reconnect and blow off steam."

"Whatever. You guys keep your cartoons and your night long video calls." He rolled his eyes as if he were through but I could see he had something else to say waiting on the tip of his tongue. "I swear sometimes I'm just not convinced that your relationship is purely platonic."

That was it. I couldn't believe we were having this argument. AGAIN. I felt like my brain snap and I went off. "Why are you so insecure about that?! Hunk's been my best friend since I was 15! I'm not marrying him, but he's not going anywhere either! YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT!" I yelled louder than I intended, realizing my volume when I heard the caterpillars rush to hide under the couch in the other room.

Nathan was fuming now. "You two are SO weirdly close all the time and you aren't even living in the same city! I'm just not comfortable with it."

"We fought side-by-side through the war with all the paladins. The lions and Voltron aren't here anymore but we still share this bond. All of the paladins are still connected through the energy we shared. I feel all of them all the time. For crying out loud, I still feel Allura even, and she's on a higher plane of existence!"

Nathan stared blankly at me from the screen. He had clearly struck the nerve he had intended to and he looked like he was losing steam seeing that I wasn't going to budge.

My shoulders sagged as my eyes clouded up with tears. I hung my head in a feeble attempt to conceal my face. "We've been through so much together. So many experiences that completely changed my life... and I need them. I will always need them..."

"I wasn't trying to upset you. I got jealous and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I didn't look up. I heard a _click_ and knew the call had ended. I hadn't even told Nathan that Hunk would be staying for the week. He hadn't given me a chance to.

_As if that whole conversation wasn't already a complete disaster..._

Nathan always thought my friendship with Hunk was peculiar. He used to just shake his head and laugh at our quirks and antics. But he started acting weird about it ever since we transitioned to long distance. Admittedly, not being able to see each other put a strain on our relationship on its own. At the same time I guiltily realized that some days I felt closer to Hunk than I did to my own boyfriend now that he was away. I think it freaked Nathan out that Hunk and I had been living light years apart for the last few years but our friendship remained as strong and effortless as ever... Like we never left the Castle of Lions or the Atlas. Meanwhile Nathan had only been gone a short while and things were already rocky. He can't stop comparing our relationship to my friendship.

Things got markedly worse when Hunk accepted the Garrison job. At first Nathan had just grumbled thinking that Hunk and I would be gallivanting around, partners in crime, at it again. Then our first real fight broke out when he realized Hunk was moving in to my apartment. I felt I was at liberty to make my own decisions for my own space. Nathan would be back and forth from his naturalist expeditions for a while and there was no real incentive for us to be living together any time soon. I didn't see any reason why Hunk and I couldn't be roomies for the duration of the project. We'd be working nonstop together anyways. It would just be easier if we shared the same space.

I threw myself back on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I hate all this new dread and anxiety that came with this rough patch in our relationship.

_What am I going to do?_

I had never had to choose between my team members and anything else before... Or I guess maybe I had? I pressed my hands up into my face and groaned as I pulled my hands back down, stretching my skin with the motion and revealing the pinks of my eyes and my gums. I guess I had picked being a paladin over returning to Earth and my mom... And I had delayed finding Matt and my dad to be with the team.

_I always chose them. Am I supposed to choose Nathan now? How can I even choose someone who's not here?!_

"ARGHH! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

I exhaled and my voice dropped to a whisper. "Why should I have to choose?" I pushed myself upright and slouched over my legs. I stared blankly at the patterns in my socks for some time and another rush of helpless anger rushed through me. I flung my fists down on either side of me slapping my blankets with a hushed thump.

_I don't have time to dwell on this right now. I need to get this apartment cleaned up and presentable._

The thought of Hunk being here in a couple of hours quelled my frustration for the moment. I twirled a piece of hair around my finger and fiddled with the fraying strings at the corner of my blanket with my other hand. It would be so good to see him. Heartbreak or not... I really wanted to confide in him about my troubles with Nathan.

 _I'd better not..._ Hunk is going through enough with Shay. _And he'd never move in if he knew Nathan were freaking out._

I looked to my closed bedroom door and hollered to the little robot in the room on the other side. "Hey, Chip! We've got a lot of cleaning to do before Hunk gets here this afternoon! Let's hop to it!" With that I vaulted out of bed, pushing any and all negative thoughts out of my mind while I started gathering up piles of dirty clothes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thanks for still reading if you've made it this far. 
> 
> Enjoy feeling like you aren't able to separate yourself from the situation well enough to stand back and recognize your own feelings as an individual. Being close to people makes things muddled. 
> 
> Please comment. :)


	3. Always Welcome

-Hunk's POV-

 

I carried my suitcase up the stairs to Pidge's doorstep. Building G, apartment 5.

_This is it. Hasn't changed a bit._

She was still using the welcome mat I bought her when she first moved in despite it beginning to look drab and faded now. To the untrained eye the design looked like a simple geometric pattern. But upon closer inspection you realized the shapes were in fact a series of ones and zeros. The deciphered sequence revealed the word "welcome" written in binary code. She laughed and carried on about as long as I had when I first spotted it in the store.

_Probably the best gift I've ever given anyone._

It felt good to be standing on that welcome mat again. It made the haze hanging over me feel a little bit lighter. I passed my suitcase to my other hand and knocked on the door. The locks turned and the door opened wide enough for Chip's small robot head to poke through. His glasses gleamed with recognition and he zipped back inside, flinging the door wide open as he did. "Pidge! Hunk is here!" The little guy bounced back over the threshold and swiped my suitcase from my hands. "We were wondering when you were going to show up!"

"Thanks, buddy." I patted his head in gratitude just before being hit in the chest by a small, energetic force. "Oof!"

Pidge wrapped her arms around my neck not bothering to mask her excitement. I skidded backwards into the balcony railing that caught me and I let myself rest against it while I returned her embrace. I heard a muffled "I'm so glad you're here" coming from within the hug. My face was buried in her neck now. Her hair smelt like sweet alyssum. I've been wrought with nothing but anguish and inner turmoil all day. The hollow void in my heart swelled as it began to fill and be replaced with relief followed by a sudden wave of comfort that washed over and seeped into me from the warmth of Pidge's hug. I have never felt this empty or lost or low. It was good to know that our friendship had persisted and would always continue to be the one constant in my life. Nothing else made much sense other than this right now...

I let out a deep sigh before responding. "Me too. Thanks for talking me into coming." I loosed my grip so that she slid down to the ground and stood in front of me, resting my hands on the railing once she was steady. All the while an indebted smile clung to my face. _We aren't kids anymore but she still hasn't gotten any taller._

Pidge's initial excitement settled and she looked up at me more serious now. "How are you doing since this morning?"

Some of the warmth leaked back out of me when the hug ended. _Holding myself together is going to be rough._ But I was here to resist succumbing to my newfound depression so I smiled down to her and shrugged "I'm doing okay. Better now that I'm here."

"Yeah, tell me about it." She gave a single half-hearted laugh in agreement.

I looked questioningly at Pidge. "What do you mean? Everything was fine this morning. Did something happen?" I thought it had been my own sour mood but I could see now that something was bothering her.

"Uh, it's nothing. Really. Just some stuff I have to deal with." Pidge- _the master concealer_ -shook it off and whatever trace of distress that was in her eyes vanished. "Don't worry, it's nothing major. I had a frustrating day after our call but you're here right now and that's what I care about." She put her hand on her hip and looked firmly into my eyes to both reassure and convince me.

"Alright, I'll let it go for now. But if you decide you want to talk about it I'm all ears."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "I _want_ you to stop worrying and come inside and get settled." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside after her.

Three space caterpillars rushed to greet me when I entered the room. Green, yellow, and blue circled around me and chittered. Their names are Denebola, Rasalas, and Zosma. I reached out my hand to scratch Zosma on the side of her fluffy face. "Haha, hey you guys. It's good to see you too."

"Aw, they missed you. They never get excited to see Lance or Keith like that." Pidge shook her head as the caterpillars flitted off to her room.

"Wow, I've never seen it this clean in here. I'm impressed." I turned around to take it all in and elbowed Pidge with a sly smirk. "All thanks to Chip, I'm sure."

"Hey, I helped! Pidge huffed and feigned offense then confessed. "I mostly just moved stuff though... Chip did all the scrubbing."

I've known Pidge to be a hoarder since our Voltron days. I had always marveled at how someone whose thoughts were always so organized could allow her things to be so messy. And thrive in it. I swear there's a small part of her that takes pleasure in having to hop and trip over all her junk just to cross a room.

The apartment was of modest size. To the left of the entryway were the dining room and kitchen separated by a sink and counter top. Straight ahead was the living room. The back of the couch was to me. End tables stood at either side of it and it sat across from a T.V. that hung against the wall between two windows delicately dressed with light blue sheer curtains. My suitcase sat on the floor to the side of the T.V. where Chip had left it. Pidge had pulled the hideaway bed out of the couch and fixed it with blankets and pillows, converting the living room into a temporary guest bedroom. There was a hallway cut into the wall to the left of the couch. It led straight to the single bathroom with a lone sink, toilet, and shower. On either side of the hallway was a doorway. The one on the right led to Pidge's room, the other across from it led to her office that we would be clearing and transforming into my bedroom. More than enough room for two working young adults, three space caterpillars, and a sentient robot.

The washer and dryer were located across from the kitchen within a closet. The double doors were flung open and piles of clothes and blankets lay heaped in the floor still waiting to be washed. The dryer buzzed and Pidge staggered over the piles to collect her clean laundry into a basket.

"I got most of the cleaning done, anyway. The only clean bedding in the apartment is what I used to make your bed for you..." I heard her embarrassed voice ducking in and out of the dryer.

"You know it doesn't really bother me..." I responded absently. I was looking over the walls now. Pidge wasn't much for decorating. There were no live, laugh, love signs or pictures of the Eifel Tower hanging on the walls. Things like that made her nearly gag. The apartment wasn't decorated, but it wasn't bare either. And the things she had chosen to surround herself with weren't organized, but they weren't overwhelming.

They were interesting. Anywhere you looked there was something to think about. In the dining room was a framed map of Earth's solar system. The theme continued into the living room which had pictures of her favorite scientists, a mini framed periodic table of elements, and a large VDOTU poster next to a framed picture of the seven of us standing with the Voltron lions in front of the Castle of Lions before it had been lost.

The hallway was more personal (not to say that there were things in the apartment that had no meaning to Pidge because, hello, hoarder). I shambled over to the hallway and leaned on the door frame to peer in. The two small walls were filled frame to frame with pictures. The faces of everyone Pidge cared for or had ever admired were there. My favorite was the picture of us with the Galra drone soldier we had reprogrammed to spend a day of fun with she, Lance, and I.

"It's about 5:30 now. You wanna go grab dinner? I'm buying." She squeezed past me to put the laundry basket on her bed.

I clenched my hand to my stomach as it rumbled loudly. "Ugh, yes please!"

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Pidge kept me busy all week as promised.

Cleaning out the spare bedroom took all weekend. The first thing we did was get rid of the dining room table. "Are you sure?!" I hesitated when she told me to help her carry it out to the parking lot.

"Yeah! We have to move my desk and bookshelves out of your room. And you're going to be bringing your desk with you. So we'll just turn the dining room into our new office."

I must have looked at her like she was crazy for prioritizing office space over proper eating space because she cocked her head and laughed at me. "I'm serious! We'll just buy T.V. trays. We're workaholic scientists, not royalty."

That was that. The table went and we moved the desk, bookshelves, and telescope into the dining room. Pidge couldn't wait to get my desk moved in. I had to admit, I was excited to see our office completed too.

The rest of the cleaning consisted of figuring out what Pidge needed to get rid of or move around to make room for all of her miscellaneous, oddball items. Taking into consideration all of the furniture and paraphernalia I would be adding to our collection, of course.

We had the apartment in order by late Sunday afternoon. By then we were beyond pumped about the new setup and decided to set out on a spontaneous trip to the store. We bought so much crap, it was ridiculous. But I probably never had more fun shopping in my life.

Pidge insisted on buying things I didn't really think we needed yet. I would be on a tight budget until I started drawing paychecks from the Garrison.

"I don't care. I have plenty of money." She insisted. "Just hush up and let me buy you stuff."

"If you have so much money then why are you still living in a little apartment?" I teased.

"I dunno. I'm only one person, and you know me. I'm a pack rat. I can't handle that much space by myself."

Pidge purchased a bedspread and pillow set with shams for me. We also got a new VDOTU shower curtain and bathroom set along with some T.V. trays (as planned). I had commented on Pidge's kitchen setup the first night... She owned a single, tiny frying pan, one pot with a missing lid, and a beat up baking sheet. I honestly don't know how or what she'd been eating all these years... It was terrifying. So we bought a new, _complete_ kitchen set at my discretion.

The one thing I had been allowed to purchase with my own money was an apron I picked out for Pidge. It was navy blue with stars and planets pictured on it. Across the chest was written _"this cooking's out of this world!"_ It was my gift to her for letting me stay for the week and ultimately letting me move into her apartment and share her work with her.

I went to work with her the rest of the week. On Monday Pidge took me to HR to finalize my paperwork for employment and have my I.D. badge printed. Then she gave me the grand tour of her lab. Or, as she was now calling it, _our lab_.

It was like old times. I assisted her with her projects and when we weren't working in silence, we were bouncing ideas off of each other and problem solving. Her colleagues had commented on how the two of us working together were like a well-oiled machine. It was like we could read each other's minds. Pidge even said herself that having me in the lab was the most productive she'd been in months.

I felt like I was moving forward with a definitive objective for the first time since my diplomatic work had ended... For the first time since I had decided to stay back on Earth those few months ago... For the first time since Shay broke up with me...

The waking hours were wonderful. I'll always be eternally grateful for that week. But don't get me wrong, I was still a long shot off from being _okay_. The nights always caught up to me. You don't just dust yourself off and walk away from a terminated engagement. You limp if you can, crawl and drag along through the metaphorical dirt when you can't. It feels like travelling through a dark tunnel with no end and you can't see anywhere but down, grappling in a direction that is hopefully forward, in constant fear that you'll be bleeding from the heart forever.

I cried myself to sleep every night after Pidge went to bed and Chip powered down for the evening.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

My last night at Pidge's place was on Friday. After work we decided to start the evening off with homemade lasagna followed by baking caramel chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Because "we can't have peanut butter cookies all the time. We have to mix it up. For my sake."

Unbeknownst to Pidge, I was dreading bedtime. Honestly, I was anxious about having to go home and be in my house by myself in general. I methodically scrubbed the dishes in the sink trying not to seem distracted while Pidge loaded the dishwasher behind me.

"We should stay up and watch movies since it's my last night." I said as casually as I could manage.

"Hunk, you've read my mind!" The dishes clinked as each one was set onto the rack. "What movies do you wanna watch?"

"I dunno, anything really. I just want to hang out."

Pidge's eyes lit up "I have the Austin Powers trilogy."

"Hahaha! What?! Those ancient movies?!" I threw the rag in the sink and turned the water off. "Of all the things to survive the Galra takeover."

"What? They're classics. And they're _hilarious_. Who cares how old they are?" Pidge closed the dishwasher with overblown sass. She stepped to me dramatically and gave me a playful shove. "C'mon, I'll get the movie started. You just be there or be square."

Pidge hopped not-so-gracefully over the back of the couch, swiping the remote from the side table on the landing. She pulled the movie up on the screen before settling into the blankets in my temporary bed. I shook my head and joined her, setting the fresh baked plate of cookies on the blanket between us.

We laid facing each other on our elbows, lounging and dining on our dessert like ancient Roman elites, while we laughed and talked through the movies. Eventually my eyes started to get heavy into the third movie and I started to doze lucidly. Pidge must have gotten tired too or noticed that I was passing out because I felt her shift on the bed. My eyes fluttered half-open but she didn't notice she had disturbed me as she turned the T.V. off and moved the now empty plate over to the side table.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed to leave but lingered a moment. I saw her figure lean towards me and I closed my eyes feeling a flit of panic in my gut similar to the innocent fear you get when you're a child that knows you aren't supposed to see something. She placed her small hand on my brow and ran her fingers through my hair, pushing my bangs up off of my forehead. A few seconds later I felt her lips pressed lightly against the place where my hair had so gingerly been pushed aside moments before. _She knows I'm hurting whether I talk about it or not._ I couldn't stop a thin sigh from escaping my lips when she pulled away.

She heard it and paused, thinking she had awaken me in that moment.

That's when it hit me and my nerve broke at the thought of being left in the dark. Alone. "Pidge...?" My throat was tight and my voice sounded strained when I said her name. "Will you stay here...?" My nose started to run and I sniffled.

She didn't answer but instead reached her hand back to me again and pressed it against my face. I felt her run her thumb across my cheek to sweep away my tears.

"I jus... Just can't... I don't... Want to be alone." I was audibly crying now as I choked out the words.

"Hunk, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here."

Pidge wrapped her arms around my head and I sobbed into her chest. "I'm sorry... I... It still hurts."

Somehow she could understand my mangled voice. "I don't know what you're sorry for. I'll always be here for you. Even if I have to hold you through a million sleep overs."

I managed to let a weak laugh pass through my clogged throat.

"I just wish I could take the hurt away for you." She let me go momentarily to slide back under the covers and pull me to her. "Come here."

I did as she said and laid my head on her chest. Pidge wrapped her arms around me again and held me tightly to her. I wondered at how someone so small could feel so strong. She enveloped me like a buffer from the rest of the world, the rest of the universe even, her touch safe and secure.

She didn't speak until my tears began to subside. "Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked softly, loosening her hold on me to stroke my hair.

"It's just so hard, Pidge. I keep doubting whether I've done the right thing. I don't know when I'll stop hurting. Right now it doesn't feel like I ever will." I paused before continuing. Pidge pressed her cheek against my forehead while she listened. "I couldn't go back to Balmera. I know I was able to leave Earth for Voltron... But this is my home. My true home. I couldn't do it and Shay couldn't leave Balmera either. And now I'm finally home but I feel like I've lost everything..."

Pidge was thoughtful for a second. "Hunk, how much work do you have left at home?"

"I don't know. Not much I guess..." I trailed off thinking about how little I had going on to keep me occupied and a new fear started rising in my stomach.

"Well, why don't you move in early? I mean, what's holding you back?" Pidge stopped playing with my hair and rested her hand on my shoulder while she waited for my reply.

"I guess I could... I hadn't thought about it like that."

"I think it would help. And I'm worried about you being alone for six months without any real work. Just think about it. Obviously you're welcome here. You have your own bedroom now... And I want what's best for you."

"Okay."

She began stroking my hair again and paused to hold my face in her hand and plant another kiss on my forehead before resuming. I fell asleep on her chest and she stayed there with me the whole night like she said she would.

Saturday morning Pidge gave me my set of keys to the apartment and I remember laughing at the fact that she'd already had them made. I spent the next week packing and moving. By the following Saturday I was Pidge's official roomie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet alyssum are small white annual flowers that can be planted to drape daintily over the edges of flower pots or placed in the garden bed as ground cover. They spread over the dirt like a snow white carpet. They smell faintly of honey-nectar on the breeze and they attract butterflies. 10/10 would recommend planting. P.S., I garden.
> 
> Denebola, Rasalas, and Zosma are stars located in the constellation Leo. I thought these names were fitting.
> 
> Please comment!


	4. Space Dad, Space Hunch

-Shiro's POV-

 

Third period ended and the young cadets filed out of the classroom to lunch. Finally. I closed the door behind the last cadet who straggled out of the room. He fell asleep in class and fumbled with his book bag when the bell rang shocking him from his slumber. I let my shoulders sag and threw my head back and groaned. _Either I'm getting older or these kids are getting nuttier._ I was now a retired war veteran and teacher responsible for training the Garrison's young cadets. I never fully realized it until Voltron, but I've always been a great teacher and mentor. Given my reputation and patient character the position was a natural fit... Turns out, I have a knack for gaining the undying respect and loyalty of the Garrison's youth.

I grabbed the lunch Curtis had packed me this morning along with my key, locked up the classroom, and headed to the employee mess hall. I spotted Pidge and Hunk at their usual table as they motioned for me to come join them. It was nice having Hunk around at the Garrison again. Adding Hunk to anything automatically made it friendlier and more comfortable. Well, so long as that thing wasn't terrifying. It was his second official week back and he seemed to be doing well. Hunk smiled as I sat down across from them at the table. "Hey! Where's Curtis? You guys always eat together."

"I could say the same about you two." I stuck out two fingers and motioned my hand back and forth between Pidge and Hunk with my eyebrow cocked. "You clock in together, work together, you eat and clock out together. Hell, you even live together now. Are you joined at the hip or something?" I laughed and jokingly peered over the table as if I were looking to see if they were actually connected. They both blushed slightly. Pidge stuck out her bottom lip, clearly annoyed as she shirked over her tray. Hunk laughed nervously. He locked eyes with me and pleadingly gestured, slicing his hand to the side of his neck for me to 'cut it out' where Pidge couldn't see.

_What's eating her?_

I decided to change the subject rather than pursue it. "Er, um... Curtis is home sick today. He's got a bit of a head cold. He got up this morning like he was going to come in, but I convinced him to take a sick day." I said as I dug my sandwich and apple out of my lunch pail.

Pidge relaxed and her cheeks resumed their normal color. "How have you two been doing?"

My eyes lit up and I stuck out my chest as it filled with pride. "Really well, actually." I couldn't contain myself. "Since you asked, we just got the news that we've been approved and placed on the waiting list for adoption." I beamed.

"Shiro, that's incredible! Congratulations!" Pidge dropped her fork in her fruit salad out of excitement and sheer surprise.

"Now, I want you to know that this doesn't change anything between us. I won't love you any less, Lance and Keith included. I'll always be your space dad." I crossed my arms and put on my most convincing dad face and we all laughed.

Hunk laced his fingers together and planted his elbows on the table, giving me a sly look. "I'm surprised you decided you wanted kids after all the trouble we put you through."

My chuckling subsided and I took on a more serious tone as my eyes warmed and softened to my friends. "What can I say? I've always enjoyed looking out for people. And Curtis and I are so happy." I felt flushed as my heart fluttered. "I've never felt so much love for a person... We want to channel that love into starting our family." My cheeks and nose reddened slightly. I've always been composed and collected, the epitome of self-control. It felt funny talking about such strong feelings with anyone but Curtis.

"I'm really happy for you, man. You and Curtis will be great parents." Hunk's smile faded some and there was a hint of something sad in his eyes. "I hope I can feel that way about someone someday. You're so lucky to have that, Shiro."

I realized things must still be hard for him since he and Shay broke up. I knew Hunk hadn't meant to take away from my good news but I still felt a little bad for him. I reached across the table and placed my hand reassuringly on Hunk's wrist. "When the right person comes along, you'll know." Hunk nodded and smiled thankfully.

Pidge chimed in absentmindedly as she pierced her fork through a turgid grape. "You really are lucky." She hadn't noticed either of us look at her curiously while she picked around at the remaining food on her tray. I looked to Hunk questioningly. I know he picked up on my concern because he nervously shrugged and shook his head in response. Something was up with Pidge and Hunk knew exactly what it was. Though he hadn't said so, I had my own reasonable suspicions.

_Does Pidge mean she doesn't feel that way about Nathan?_

I picked up my sandwich and nonchalantly took a bite as if I were moving on. "The week is almost over. Do you guys have any plans this weekend?"

"We're having dinner with my mom on Friday night." Pidge stopped zoning out and was tuned in to the conversation again.

"Yeah, and Saturday Pidge is coming with me to help my mom bake for her book club meeting. We're going to have lunch with her there." Hunk added knocking her elbow playfully with his own. At first Pidge nudged him back with a smirk on her face before shrinking back into her own personal space when she remembered my eyes were still on them.

"Man! You guys really do everything together." I popped the last bite of sandwich into my mouth and wiped the crumbs from the table into my napkin.

"There's no reason Hunk should stay at the apartment alone when there's always a place for him at the table with my family." Pidge smiled awkwardly and pushed her now empty tray away from her.

"Exactly! Thank you, Pidge." Hunk agreed. "Why wouldn't you be invited? You're practically family."

Pidge never acted this uncomfortable around Hunk before. With other people, sure, all the time. She was reserved by nature and she was often miffed by her inability to relate to other people. But never Hunk.I felt the light bulb turn on in my head and I smiled to myself.

_Pidge feels closer to Hunk than she does to her own boyfriend._

"Well it sounds like you'll be having a great time. Curtis and I will likely be spending the weekend at home unless he begins feeling better."

_You can't fool space dad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work was originally meant to be more light-hearted and fun than serious and angsty. So, hope you're having fun. Sorry it's a short chapter. Just wanted to give a little glimmer of Hunk and Pidge at work. 
> 
> Lemme know what you think. Or don't think. Or talk about whatever random crap you feel like in the comments.


	5. Eight Dozen

-Pidge's POV-

 

 

Hunk and I have been living together for about a month now. By this time he knows that Nathan and I have not been doing well. At first he had expressed his concern that living in the apartment together was placing unnecessary strain on my relationship. He had started to suggest that he move out but I refused. He literally just got here. So I reassured him that we've been having problems since Nathan left on his expedition. Being long distance had taken a toll on us. After a while Hunk (concluding that I wasn't changing my mind) eventually stopped pestering me about it.

I didn't want Hunk worrying that he was driving a wedge into my relationship, and I definitely didn't want him moving out. It was... nice having someone else around. I had forgotten how much I missed having a real flesh-and-blood person in the house. No offense, Chip. So I kept most of my concerns and frustrations to myself initially. However, the longer Hunk was here the less I worried about it and the more I confided in him. Eventually I had come to tell him everything... Even the fact that Nathan was freakishly insecure about our friendship... and our current living situation.

So yeah, we're completely open now. Not to mention it is incredibly hard to keep things from someone you live and work with 24/7. The only time I'm actually alone these days is when I'm asleep or in the bathroom - and that's if I fall asleep in my bed or brush my teeth with the door closed. We pretty much do everything together because we're constantly in the same space. Which means Hunk can read me like a book, and what he can't read he'll eventually piece together. So I figured, might as well spill.

I told the truth and our friendship was fine - much to my relief. It was probably stronger, actually. Hunk was oddly supportive and understanding. My relationship with Nathan, not so much. Things hadn't exactly blown over like I was hoping they would. Then again, nothing with Nathan ever turned out how I predicted. I thought that if Hunk just moved in Nathan would come to terms with it and accept it. He'd realize he had overreacted and that there was no harm to come from it. It wouldn't be any different than our friendship had always been. But it _did_ cause harm and somehow mine and Hunk's friendship _did_ change, though not in a bad way. Hunk and I became weirdly close... we were companions in the total sense of the word. Nathan, on the other hand, became distant and we grew painfully apart.

Nathan and I talked less and less throughout the week as time went by. We have gotten to the point where I no longer call him. I just answer his calls every week or so when they randomly come in. The one's I don't answer, I just listen to the message (if he leaves one) and try to catch him on the next call. Whenever that will be.

If not in my relationship, at least things were fine with Hunk and with work at the Garrison. Well, for the most part. Hunk and I had worked late this evening because we had been having problems in the lab. To put it more accurately, we have worked late every day this week... I haven't been available to answer any calls.

And that brings us back to tonight.

 

_~ ~ ~ ~ ~_

 

I wrapped myself in a towel after my shower and walked out of the bathroom. My wet hair dangled closer to my shoulders than it did when it was dry because the water suppressed the slight curl that gave it volume. Hunk was sitting in his bedroom with his door open reading Carl Sagan's Cosmos. He had already showered earlier because I - even though I was reportedly the lowest maintenance person he had ever met - always took too long and used up the hot water. I paused outside his door crossing my arms on my chest and peeked in. "What do you want to do for dinner?"

Hunk rested his book on his chest momentarily, yawning while he turned his head to me. "I dunno... I'm pretty beat. How 'bout grilled cheese or something simple?"

"That sounds good to me. I'll be out in a minute." Leaving his doorway I walked to my room and closed the door behind me to get dressed. I hung my towel on my bedpost and began rummaging through my dresser drawers for a t-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. I used to dump my clean clothes on the chair in the corner of the room, but when Hunk moved in he started folding and hanging my clothes for me. I seized upon a suitable outfit for the evening noticing I had a missed call as I closed my drawers. I automatically punched the button to play the message while I got dressed. Nathan's terse voice played from the small speaker.

"Pidge. We need to talk. Call me."

My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach and I felt a rush of dread surge through me. That can't be good. I nervously sat down on my bed and pulled up the display. I hesitated, ringing my hands and taking a deep breath before I placed the call. Nathan answered almost immediately. I decided to play it cool and act like nothing was wrong unless he explicitly pointed out that something was. "Hey, I just got your message. What's up?"

_Too chill? Maybe?_

Nathan was not having it. "You know what's up."

_Definitely too chill._

I couldn't stop myself from jumping straight to anger. "If I knew _what's up_ I wouldn't be calling. Especially not if I knew you were going to be such an ass." The fact that we couldn't have a conversation without arguing anymore was exhausting.

"Well, gee, Pidge. It's always the same fuckin' thing but you somehow manage to keep ignoring it like nothing's happening!" We were both yelling now.

"Why don't you just say it, Nathan!? Instead of trying to lure me into some kind of backward confession." I was standing before the display, my arms down to my side with clenched fists.

"Jesus Christ! That's how it is with you isn't it?" I'd never seen an uglier look on his face. It was like he were trapped in a room with something putrid and rancid. "You can't admit that what you're doing is fine for you but wrong for us. And when I speak up, you brush me off. You don't validate me."

"Oh fucking _validation_!" the 'v' word dripped off my tongue like hot acid. "That's rich. And what do you mean "speak up? It's the only thing you talk about." I let out a sneering laugh and threw my hands up in the air. "I DON'T EVER HEAR ANYTHING ELSE!" I heard Hunk's bed creak as he moved in the other room and I knew he was hearing everything but I was too deep into this bullshit to turn back now.

"Look, Pidge. I didn't call you to argue today." Nathan's shoulders were heaving, his eyes glared at me. Hateful and hollow voids gleaming in the sockets of his skull. He rubbed his face and shrugged resentfully. "I called to tell you that I'm done."

"What do you mean done?" He's breaking up with me. I already knew it but I needed to hear him say it.

"I'm not going to stick around so I can continue to be second best in your life, Pidge." Exasperation replaced the animosity in Nathan's voice. "You have a connection... or a fucking bond with Hunk that I can't compete with. I won't compete with it." Nathan almost looked hurt for a moment as he fidgeted with his hands in his lap. After some pause he sucked in a deep breath and looked up to me. "I'm never going to be closer to you than him, am I?"

I just stared at him and shrugged. My anger was breaking into despondency. "I... I don't know... Maybe not... No." was all I could think to say.

It was as if I had severed the last tether holding us together. Nathan refused to look at me. "I can't do this."

He didn't see me but I was trembling now. Somehow I managed to speak with a steady voice.

"So that's it...?"

"Yeah, I guess. That's it."

The display blinked off and it was over.

I clenched my elbows and paced in a circle before sitting down on my bed. I felt numb. My brain was in a mess and I couldn't get my thoughts to flow properly. I hadn't been happy with Nathan for a while but I didn't feel better now that I was free. I knew that I hadn't been compliant, hadn't done anything to help or alleviate the strain on us these last few months. I had been selfish and now I felt like I resented myself as much as Nathan resented me for being uncompromising. But somehow I also resented him just as much for asking things of me I couldn't do and not being able to accept me for those very qualities that, though infuriating at times, are true to my nature.

I heard the shuffling of large footsteps followed by Hunk's concerned voice coming from the other side of the door. "Pidge?"

I didn't answer. Tears were filling my eyes and falling down my face. I sniffed hard, hugging myself where the hollow ache of inadequacy throbbed in my chest. My rib cage spasmed as I failed to catch my breath through anguished gasps and I let out a single strangled cry as I lost control. Hunk didn't wait any longer. The door opened and he walked straight into my room. I was scared he'd be mad at me for not letting him move out when things still had a chance to be repaired... I was scared he'd resent me the way Nathan did.

"I..."

I started to explain myself but I was cut off when Hunk sat down beside me and scooped me up, cradling me in his arms not saying a word. I clutched his shirt in my fist and buried my face in his chest while I cried. He seemed to hold me tighter with each sob that wracked my body. All I could think was how stupid I was for letting things drag on this long with Nathan and how thankful I am that Hunk is here regardless of the trouble it may have caused. When I finally quieted down he relaxed his hold and began rubbing my back. I barely heard him murmur "I'm sorry..." I wiped my face with my arm and rested my head on his shoulder so that I could look up at him in question only to see a few silent tears streak down his face. "What are you sorry for?"

He looked sideways to me and then placed his cheek against my forehead. "If I hadn't moved in maybe things wouldn't have gotten so bad between you and Nathan."

"Stop saying that. I told you-"

"No, Pidge. I heard the whole thing." Hunk uttered it so softly and yet with such gumption it caught me off guard.

_Can't argue with that._

I turned in his lap and slid my arms around his neck and he hugged me back. "Please don't blame yourself. Yeah, maybe you could have left and things might have smoothed over for a month or two. But Nathan and I still wouldn't have worked out... We care about each other, or we did once... But, we could never compromise." I pulled out of the hug and looked earnestly into his eyes with my hands still resting on his shoulders. "Not just about you living here. About everything. When it came down to it we never agreed... and we couldn't support each other because of it."

Hunk looked puzzled as his brow wrinkled. "Aren't you upset that it's over...? When Shay broke up with me I felt like my whole world had ended..."

I ran my hand through my hair and looked down at Hunk's muscled arm that was still wrapped around my waist. "It's hard to put into words." I rested my head on his chest before continuing. His shirt was damp from by tears and my hair but he didn't seem to mind. "I'm glad it's over but I still feel bad about myself... It just wasn't working and I know that. I think I knew that for a while."

Hunk was thoughtful as we sat in silence together. I felt so small sitting there in his lap and the current state of my wrecked emotions made me feel even smaller. It reminded me of the lyrics to an oldies song we both like _"You are taller than a mountain. Deeper than the sea..."_

I was stirred from my thoughts when Hunk shifted and I felt his warm hand push my bangs out of my face. "C'mon, let's go."

"Hunk, I feel like shit, really. Maybe we should just go to bed." I clung to his shirt and hid my face in his chest in protest.

"Nope. I'm afraid it's not optional." Before I could say another word he hoisted himself off the bed and carried me out of the room to the kitchen. "You'll thank me later."

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The timer buzzed and Hunk pulled the eighth and last tray of cookies out of the oven. He set the tray on top of the wire burners to cool and began scooping the previous batch of cooled cookies from the cooling rack and adding them to a rectangular tin in neatly lined rows. The whole apartment smelt like warm sugar and peanut butter. I swooped in and snatched a cookie before his spatula could reach it.

"There you have it, eight dozen cookies." Hunk took a proud sip from his rum and coke then smiled as he set his glass down on the counter and laughed into the oven mitt that still cloaked his left hand. "Oh man, I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but this is way too many cookies."

We'd started drinking around 8 o'clock when we first came into the kitchen to make dinner and drown our sorrows. Hunk was almost too excited to sit down and enjoy his food. He started pulling out sugar and flour as soon as we finished our grilled cheese sandwiches. Once the table (well, technically it's our desks pushed together in the dining room that we sometimes still use as a table) was cleared I threw on my new apron and we had been baking and drinking since. With a few breaks and shenanigans in between, of course. It was nearing midnight. Nearly 100 cookies later.

I was way buzzed. No, I was more than buzzed. I was drunk to the point that I had to consciously think about how my hips swayed when I walked and my gums were so numb that my molars felt like they were floating in my head the way people always joke when they have to piss really bad. "My teeth are floating." I blurted aloud as I shoved another, whole cookie in my mouth and began to uncontrollably laugh with my mouth full. Hunk double over at the sight of crumbs flying out of my lips between two stuffed chipmunk cheeks. When he stood up he lost balance and swayed toward me. I caught his hands with mine and steadied him as he pressed his forehead against mine and we giggled like school children. Drunken school children.

His eyes were wet and glassy as they glistened in delight. _Probably dehydrated._ And his face was flushed. _He must be feeling about the same as me._ One of our favorite songs started to play and his face lit up. _I didn't think it could get any brighter._ "Ohh, here we go!" He excitedly removed one of his hands from mine and placed it securely on the small of my back, pulling me in against his hips. I leaned my temple against his cheek and laid my now free hand on his shoulder, still giggling. We sang the words together (tone deaf, drunk, and terrible) as he spun me around the kitchen in his arms.

"I tried taking a picture of you, when I look at it nothing comes through." I squealed in surprise as Hunk dipped me and we almost went down to the floor together. "You're sui generis, my sweetheart. I don't even know where to start..." He continued singing along without me because I was laughing too hard now but I got myself under control just in time for the first chorus. "Even Da Vinci couldn't paint you, and Stephen Hawking can't explain you. Rosetta Stone could not translate you. I'm at a loss for words..."

Drunken dancing and singing is actually a lot harder than it looks.

I quickly ran out of breath, breaking off and listening to Hunk's voice singing on in my ear, still dancing together. I took in each word as he kept on. The meaning of the song struck me in a way it never had before and I felt a pang of sadness that stopped my laughter.

"What's wrong?" Hunk noticed the change in my demeanor immediately. Pretty receptive for a drunk guy, honestly. He picked me up and set me on the counter so he could see me eye-to-eye, still panting from the dance. He leaned his hips against the counter between my knees for support and held himself in front of me with one hand pressed flat on either side of my hips as he looked worriedly into my eyes.

My head was swimming from the alcohol and I found myself caught in a wrestling match with my emotions while Hunk stared worriedly at my face.

_Every word of this song is so sweet yet I have no idea what it means to feel that way about someone._

I felt myself beginning to cry again. "It's just this song." I choked. "I never felt this way about Nathan. And he doesn't feel this way about me... He hates me." I was really crying now. Hunk folded his arms around me, scooting me to the edge of the counter as he did. I just sat their sobbing, hugging him with my arms and knees.

"You wanna know something I never told you?" He spoke into my hair and I listened for him to go on. "Shay dumped me because I took the Garrison job and didn't tell her until a week later." I sniffled and my brow furrowed as I slowly put together the words. "Hunk... Why didn't you go home to Balmera? Why did you accept the job?"

Hunk shrugged out of the hug. His hands slid down to my hips and stayed there while his face hovered in front of mine. My breath caught in my lungs when I realized how close we had been this whole time but I didn't pull away. I didn't have a reason to feel guilty anymore... And it was comfortable, so I just stayed there. Hunk's breath was warm and sweet on my face.

"I loved her but I just couldn't go. When I thought about leaving Earth to get married I didn't feel happiness... I felt... hesitation. The job at the Garrison was like a godsend." His eyes were misty but it wasn't the alcohol this time. It was tears. "I still feel guilty for not choosing her."

"You did what was right for you. It may feel wrong, but it's okay." I leaned forward an inch and kissed his nose. He flinched, a little confused then smiled at me bashfully and I felt a bolt of butterflies in my stomach. He looked at me curiously like he was trying to decide what I was thinking.

_I kissed his head before but never his face. Why did I do that?_

Hunk's hands stirred on my hips and he looked down momentarily as if he were looking for the courage to speak then looked up to me. "You made the choices that were right for you too... Pidge, you're so wonderful. You seriously don't know how great you are... or how much you mean to me. I don't know where I'd be right now without you." Hunk buried his face in my neck to hug me again. I was blushing bright red and I was thankful he couldn't see my face.

_What're we doing? Where is this going...?_

"Thanks... At least you think so. I still hate myself for being a terrible girlfriend."

Apparently Chip still hadn't powered down yet because he yelled at us from the couch. "GET A ROOM!"

For the first time since we had started dancing Hunk seemed to realize how close he had been to me because he backed up a step and removed his hands from me, placing them back down on the counter-top. "We should probably go to bed for the night." He said shyly and a little flustered.

"I don't know if I can sleep..." I was beginning to feel emotional again and I cast my eyes down to the side. "I don't want to be alone right now."

"You're not gonna be alone, silly." Hunk scooted me off the counter.

_I sure do get picked up a lot more than I used to._

I held on to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing my knees around his waist for support. Hunk turned the light off with his elbow as he carried me out of the kitchen calling out to Chip. "Goodnight, buddy!" I saw my door moving away from us over Hunk's shoulder as he walked into his own bedroom and turned to close the door behind him.

He swayed as he walked through the dark room to his bed. I felt nervous all of a sudden and my heart started pounding in my chest. _I stayed the night with him before in the living room. This isn't any different from that... right?_ I heard a dull thud followed by an "ow" as Hunk found the bed with his shins and toppled forward landing on top of me. His firm body pushed me into the mattress, but he managed to catch himself enough not to squish me. I couldn't see a thing in the dark but I could feel where his face was from his warmth. Right in front of mine.

"Sorry, are you okay?" He pushed himself off of me.

I stealthily slipped out from under him and located the pillows with my hands in my blind state. "Yeah, I'm fine." I chuckled despite how self-conscious I felt. Hunk's goofy mishap made me feel a little more relaxed. I pulled back the covers to slide into bed and I felt Hunk follow my movements with his body behind me. _What is he, a ninja with night vision?_ The moment my head touched the pillow I felt the warmth of his arm enclose around my waist and he pulled my back into his chest, spooning me. I sighed in startled surprise as the heat from his body flowed into me and I felt him tense up. "

Sorry... I mean... can I cuddle you? Er, is that weird...?"

The butterflies had returned to my stomach again. _Pesky things._ "Yeah, it feels nice." I stammered. "You just startled me. I can't see a thing." I chuckled quietly and felt him relax behind me again.

We laid there not talking for a while. I knew Hunk wasn't asleep from the rise and fall of his breathing and the way he still fidgeted every now and then so I broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh..." He sounded a little embarrassed like I had intruded on something personal. "I was wondering... Uhm..." Hunk paused and I felt him rolling the fabric of my shirt between his thumb and index finger. " Whenever Nathan asked you if he'd ever be closer to you than me you said 'no.' He tugged at my shirt again. "Pidge... Do you really feel that way?"

I'm not sure but I swear I heard Hunk hold his breath. "Honestly, yeah. Hunk, I've never been closer to anyone than I am to you. You've just always been there for me without even having to think about it. We get along so well... you just get me. You always know what to do or what to say... and I kinda feel like you can probably read my mind sometimes. Which may or may not be a good thing."

The bed shook a little as Hunk chuckled. "Pidge, you're rambling. But I feel that way too." I could hear the smile in his voice.

_I wonder if that's what he was hoping to hear..._

He leaned over me and kissed me on the temple. His breath and stubble tickled my face and I giggled as I squirmed involuntarily. "Oh, my bad." Hunk tightened his arm around me and buried his face in my neck blowing out hard and obnoxiously through his nostrils. I squirmed even harder, laughing and screaming "NOOOO! Stop! Hahahaha, ahhhh! That tickles!"

Hunk blew one last raspberry into my neck. "Okay, okay. I'll stop, I promise." We laughed together as we calmed down as our breathing slowed, but Hunk's grip never loosened. He snuggled me even closer to his chest. I felt him press his knees against the back of my legs. His skin felt warm and inviting against mine. He touched my elbow and traced his hand up my forearm until he found my hand and laced his fingers through mine. I hoped he didn't notice the goosebumps that pricked back up when he did so. Hunk laid his cheek on my neck and sighed, but it didn't tickle this time. It felt safe and comforting. I had never been in a more intimate embrace nor had I ever let myself be more vulnerable. The feeling made me flush and sigh as well.

"Pidge?" Hunk's voice was getting sleepy now.

"Yeah, Hunk?"

"I'm not sure if I ever said this before..." There was a long pause and for a moment I thought he had drifted off to sleep. "I love you. I really do."

"I love you too." I pulled his hand to my face and kissed it.

_I guess the butterflies are here to stay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're still enjoying it so far. Also, my teeth get numb when I get really drunk.


	6. Compilation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is broken up into three mini sections as opposed to making three additional short chapters. Hence the title "Compilation."

A Midmorning Hangover

-Hunk's POV-

 

 

I was awake but I didn't have the want to open my eyes yet. I lay there hiding behind my eyelids for a couple of minutes, not moving from my comfortable position curled up under the blankets. _Maybe I'll fall back to sleep for a little bit longer if I stay still._ I persevered, hanging on for sleep to return to me in vain. The longer I lay there the more aware I became of my body waking up. My stomach was empty and queasy, no doubt from the offensive amount of alcohol I downed last night. My muscles felt sluggish, like my whole body would probably be lagging behind all day. My head felt fine on the pillow, but I had this nagging suspicion that the moment I sat up I'd discover a screaming headache.

_I'm thirsty... And I'm gonna need to pee._

I let out a long, discontented sigh and groaned pitifully. My hand twitched and I was suddenly aware of a form lying in front of me snuggled securely beneath the weight of my heavy arm draped protectively across her waist. _Pidge stayed here all night._ Pidge's shirt had ridden up to the base of her ribs in her sleep. Nothing separated me from the touch of her bare skin. Memories of the night before came tumbling back to my drowsy brain. The cookies, our antics, the kisses that had felt more than friendly, and snuggles... I felt a funny tingling sensation in my stomach, and it wasn't the hangover.

My eyes opened up to wisps of messy brown hair blocking my view of the wall and hanging bookcase behind her. Pidge's forehead laid inches away from my nose. Every breath she exhaled I breathed in as we shared air and space. She appeared to still be asleep, her lashes curling sweetly above lightly freckled cheekbones while unruly bangs framed in her placid face. You wouldn't know she'd been crying. _I feel like I could stay here forever..._

I decided I could endure dehydration and a full bladder for a little while longer. So I lay there studying her face. It's funny what you're able to see in a person when they're sleeping... All the tiny details you miss when they're animated.

Pidge's eyelids began to twitch. She groaned as she roused herself to consciousness and looked with squinting eyes into mine. I felt a little twinge of panic and embarrassment. _What do I say? Can she tell I've been awake a while? 'Good morning! I've just been holding you and watching you sleep.' Cuz that's not weird... I've got these crazy butterflies and I don't know why. We're just friends. Best friends._ I was frozen in panic so I just stayed there holding on to her.

Luckily Pidge broke the silence first because I couldn't think straight. What's wrong with me? "Ughh... I'm hungover." She scrunched up her face and stretched beneath my arm, extending her legs and then curling back into a ball. I feigned grogginess hoping to cover up the fact that I'd been watching her sleep and nodded tiredly humming "mhmm" in agreement.

She rolled toward me onto her stomach. Her head stayed resting on the pillow across from my face and her side pressed against my chest and belly. "I need some water but I don't want to get up." The increased closeness made my entire body tingle.

_I_ _'_ _ve gotta get up. This... whatever this is... is making me crazy._

"Yeah, me too. I'll get it." I said trying not to sound flustered. I held my composure and let my hand slide timidly across her back as I rolled myself out of bed. The moment I sat up right my head began to throb just as I had anticipated and I winced with my back turned to Pidge.

I came back with two glasses of water and two pill bottles. One of ibuprofen, the other Pepcid. Pidge was sitting crisscross on the bed with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as I set everything down on the nightstand. She grabbed her glass thankfully while I dug out my pills and washed them down with the whole glass of water. I plopped down, laying back and splaying out on the bed beside Pidge with my legs dangling over the side and my arm laid across my eyes. "My head has a heartbeat" I whined.

Pidge chuckled quietly at my ill state. "Are you hungry at all?"

"No. For once. No breakfast for me, just Pepcid."

"Suit yourself."

I felt her hand rest lightly on my chest followed by the weight of her body as she leaned over me to place a kiss on my cheek. I automatically lifted my arm from my face to hold her in a hug. "Thank you... For being here for me." The tone in her voice was tender and almost bashful. It made my heart flutter. I let her go and she hopped off the bed toward the door.

I rolled over leaning onto my elbow, twitterpated, and watched her leave through the hallway and into the bathroom. My heart was racing and my palms were sweating. _You didn't even say anything back, you idiot._ My tongue was tied in a knot and I stared dumbly after the empty door frame with my now sober thoughts in a tizzy. _Oh my god... I have it bad for her. I like Pidge... my best friend._ I buried my face in the blankets where Pidge had been and grumbled a mess of garbled gibberish. My bed smelt like her and another jolt of butterflies flitted through me. "Ahhh mannn..." What am I going to do?

About that time the caterpillars swooped into my room, chittering around my head begging for breakfast.

_I guess I'll start with getting up and feeding you guys._

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Hey, Sis!

-Matt's POV-

 

 

Dad and I have been on our voyage for about two months now. We've been studying a set of solar systems in the Andromeda galaxy, taking spectral readings from their suns and soil samples from their planets to study how different solar systems evolve based on their elemental compositions. I was running analysis on some soil samples from a small rocky moon when a call came in and Pidge's face popped up on the display at my workstation.

"Hey, Sis! Wait... Are you calling from work? Isn't it Saturday on Earth?" I peered into the display as if I could look around her. Pidge was sitting at her desk at the Garrison, alright. And she had that nervous look she got on her face whenever something... _out of the ordinary_... was going on.

"I needed to talk to you." She was fidgety and excited.

"From work...?" I questioned. "What's wrong with your bedroom?"

"Hunk is home and I wanted to talk to you alone... I told him I was coming here to grab a flash drive I forgot." Pidge placed her elbows on her desk and crossed her arms, her eyes trailed off to something off screen as she rested her chin on her arms.

"What do you need to say to me that Hunk can't hear?" I was intrigued now. I set my samples down and swiveled in my chair to look more directly at my sister.

Pidge scooted a paperclip across her desk with her index finger. "Nathan broke up with me last night."

"Oh, Pidge. I'm sorry-"

"No, it's okay Matt. I'm fine." I scrunched my eyebrows together and looked at Pidge, confused. "I mean... I'm glad it's over. We weren't right for each other... I just..." She paused, flicking the paperclip into oblivion. "I wish we'd broken up sooner. Nathan really hates me, Matt. Like, hates my guts, hates me. And I feel like all I did was do every little thing I could to make it worse until I drove him away."

"What do you mean 'drove him away?'" I pressed.

Pidge tugged at her ear self-consciously. "Nathan always hated how close me and Hunk have been..."

"And then he moved in with you." I finished her sentence and Pidge looked up to me and smiled guilt washing over her face. "Pidge, it's okay. You've made the decisions you needed to make for yourself. If you'd been happy with Nathan things would have played out differently. Don't blame yourself."

"Thanks, Matt." Pidge looked relieved (for the most part) but I could tell there was still something else...

"Was that all you wanted to talk about?" I inquired as the door slid open and Dad entered the room, his head visible skirting by over the top of the shelves as he walked behind me.

Pidge jumped up "Nope! That was everything! Love you, bye!!" and she was gone. _That was weird..._

Dad sat down at the workstation next to mine, about to begin analysis with his own lot of samples. "Was that Katie?"

I was still trying to figure out what on Earth Pidge was keeping from me... Or dad, more likely. "...yeah, it was." I trailed off, still thinking.

"She didn't talk long. Did you ask how she and Hunk are doing since the move?" Sam tapped a vial, emptying a bit of dirt into a beaker.

I shook my head "No. She called to talk about Nathan." Confused, I added "Why would I ask about Hunk?" Then continued writing my observations in my lab notebook.

_Dad asks the weirdest things._

Sam laughed through his nose not looking away from his samples. "Alright then. What did Katie have to say about Nathan?"

"They broke up..." My pen stopped and I looked up grabbing my chin in slow thought. "Huh..." Then turned to look at dad suspiciously. "...and Nathan was weird about Hunk and Pidge being so close..."

Dad turned and looked at me over his glasses with his eyebrows raised as if to say "now do you see what I mean?"

"Oh, no, no, no! Noooo way! You're crazy, really." Dad didn't reply. He just turned back to his work station and began casually prepping another sample but his silence said it all. I was dumbfounded by what my father was implying. "I mean, c'mon Dad! It's not like that between them. You know that! Right...?"

"Son, I've suspected for a while that Katie didn't see a future with Nathan, but she figured it out in her own time." Dad shook his head and chuckled. "The way those two are together, it reminds me of your mother and I."

Hunk and Pidge? Really? No. It's too weird. They're just friends! Friends that were cadets together... That were paladins of Voltron who saved reality as we know it together... Friends who live, eat, drink, work, and sleep mere feet away from each other every day...

I had still been sitting with my chin in my hand, my brow furrowed while I tried to rationalize the situation. But there was no way out of it. "Ohhh... OH! I'm going to have to have a talk with Hunk!" I picked up my pen in a fury and resumed writing, vigorously now.

"Take it easy, champ. They'll be fine." Dad patted me on the shoulder and I looked at him still in disbelief.

"Well if you already knew about Pidge and Nathan... and this thing with Hunk... without even talking to her!" I paused looking for the words "Well... well, what do you think about me and my girlfriend...?"

"I think either you'll make it or you won't. You'll see." Dad was turned away from me but I could see his cheek rounded into a smile on the side of his face.

"AH! DAD! YOU'RE PURPOSEFULLY DODGING THE QUESTION!"

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Wingman

-Lance's POV-

 

I walked into the kitchen to grab a muffin when I noticed the display blinking on the bar with three missed calls from Hunk. "Huh, that's weird." I moseyed around the counter and dialed him back, taking a bite of my muffin as I did so.

"LANCE!" Hunk jumped up from the floor and picked up a lamp, setting it on the nightstand behind the display. Evidently he had tripped and fallen on the floor when he ran into his room to answer my call. "Oh my gosh! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU."

"Hey, buddy!" I tossed my muffin and caught it coolly in my hand. "Did you miss me or something? What's going on? Why are you so sweaty?"

Hunk was panting and he kept looking over at the clock on the wall like he was expecting a bomb to detonate any minute. Then he whispered, cupping his hand around his mouth and peering into my dining room checking that I was alone. "I need to talk to you about something private... It's..." he looked around again, paranoid "about a girl."

I choked on my muffin in surprise. My eyes watered while I held my hand up to the display to hide my face while I recovered. "You're calling me about a girl?" I shook my head and beat my chest with my fist "I never pegged you for the guy to get back into the game so soon after a serious break up... I'm kinda impressed." I cleared my throat and took another bite placing my hand on my hip while I chewed "She must be really special if you're this interested... Who is she?!"

Hunk's cheeks turned red and he stammered "Uhh... You don't know her. She... works with us. At the Garrison."

"Hunk! I thought I heard your voice!" Coran pushed me out of the way and his red mustache filled the display. "How are you and Number 5? Work and living is going well I presume?"

"Yeah, it's great, Coran. Good to see you." Hunk glared at me and spoke between gritted teeth "Lance! This is supposed to be private.

"Sorry, don't mind me. I was just on my way out. I better be off, you lads carry on now!" With that Coran grabbed his coat and headed out the door. Hunk hung his head and sighed in relief.

I hadn't been phased by Coran's interruption. I was thinking. I looked at Hunk who looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack or hysterics or both, then to my feet on the floor, then to my half eaten muffin. "I dunno man, it's not like you to get this worked up over someone you just met." I dug my eyes into Hunk's then demanded "What are you keeping from me?!"

'Look, Lance, I don't have much time to talk about it. Pidge went to the lab to pick something up this morning and she'll be back soon." Hunk looked pleadingly for me to leave it alone but I was piecing it all together now.

"Pidge doesn't know you have a crush?" A new panic filled Hunk's eyes. "You guys tell each other everything. Unless..." My eyes widened with realization and I chucked my half eaten muffin onto the tile with enthusiasm. "OHHH! Unless that's because it IS Pidge!" I was yelling now. I wagged my finger at Hunk and began to pace up and down in excitement but when I turned I slipped on my muffin and fell backwards onto the floor.

"Hunk! You dog!"

"OKAY! Okay, you caught me! Just stop yelling!" Hunk pleaded. I pulled myself up from the floor and began dusting squashed bits off muffin off of my butt. "And you can't tell ANYONE, either! If it wasn't for me you never would have had the guts to ask Allura out." Hunk crossed his arms and the redness receded from his cheeks. "So you owe me."

I raised my left hand and placed my right over my heart "Relax, buddy. You can count on your wingman."

Hunk sighed and sat down on his bed with his hands between his knees. "Okay. So... what do I do?"

"Hmmm... Well, isn't she still dating that Nathan guy?" Hunk flushed bashfully and smiled.

"She was... But he broke up with her last night."

"Aha!" I clapped my hands and rubbed them together as my plot began to unfold in my brain. "Ohh, this is getting good." I said deviously, but then more seriously. "Okay, okay. Chill out. Take it from loverboy Lance. You can't just jump on her the second she's single." I placed my fingertips together and pointed my two hands at my love-struck friend. "A woman is like a delicate flower. You can't just "pluck her." I signed air quotes around the words pluck her. "You gotta ease into it. Like a real gentleman."

"Alright, alright. I get it. Delicate flower. Don't rush things." Hunk waved his hand in the air for me to stop it with the cheesy metaphors.

I opened up my planner on the counter. "What're your weekend plans for about two weeks from now?"

"The 21st? Nothing. Why?

My pen traced over the page effortlessly as I wrote in the date. "Me and Coran are going to come visit Earth that weekend. And I'm also gonna call and invite Keith too." I paused and looked up. "Can I stay at your place then?"

"Yeah I guess, sure. You can have the hideaway bed in the living room." Hunk consented but I could see he still hadn't realized the extent of my plan. "Does everyone really need to come...?"

I closed my planner definitively and leaned forward onto the counter. "Pidge is going to be in need of a night out. Soon. And it'll be a lot more fun and place a lot let pressure on you if we all go out for a night of fun as a group. She won't suspect a thing." I cocked my head, proud of myself. "Now, let's get this ball of romance rollin'. And remember, just play it cool. Okay? Don't pull any fancy moves in the meantime. You might spook her."

"She's not a wild animal, Lance."

"Is she not? Have you seen the mess in her bedroom? Or the way she punches me?

"Good point." Hunk chuckled. The lock turned in the door in the front room and Hunk lowered his voice. "I gotta go! I'll see you then!"

"Loverboy Lance, the matchmaker." I said to myself, smirking as I leaned against the counter. I shook my head and then remembered the mess of muffin smooshed all over the floor. "I better get a broom..." I paused, turning to look at my butt. "But first I'm gonna change my pants."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? How is your day? 
> 
> Hope it's swell! XOXOXO - Vega


	7. In Your Daydreams

-Pidge's POV-

 

The lab was dimly lit by the light that reached in from the shop through a large bay window. My desk stood at the center of the room illuminated by the orange glow of a single lamp resting unobtrusively in the corner, lighting up the mess of blueprints and half worked mathematical formulas I've been mulling over all morning. I smooshed my face onto the papers sprawled out over my desk and gave an exasperated groan. "I hate Mondays. I give up." This problem has been nagging me all day. Not to mention I have been more distracted than usual about certain _things_. It was infuriating.

"We'll figure it out eventually. Now move over, you lump." Rizavi shooed me out of my desk and sat down in my chair to look over the pages. Rizavi had become my close friend since the building of the Atlas and was now one of the many engineers working to build the new ship. She is one of the few people who still calls me 'Pidge' instead of Katie or Dr. Holt, and she is probably the closest girlfriend I've ever had since Allura.

I thankfully cupped my emerald green coffee mug in my hands and shuffled over to the front of the lab, setting my mug down on the benchtop. I pressed my palms flat against the cool black counter and leaned forward to look out the window overlooking the massive shop filled with an array of parts being assembled by people. My team. Building my ship based on my research. Straight down from the stairway Hunk was unloading a palette of large metal panels that Chip had brought in to be drilled onto the exterior of a large frame. I watched him as he stopped to remove his Garrison sweatshirt, revealing a burgundy Foo Fighters t-shirt that read _'keep rock & roll weird'_ in cream letters on the front.

_I love that shirt._

I realized I'd been staring at him when he looked up and caught me gawking from the window. He flashed his teeth in a wide grin and waved somewhat goofily. I waved back with my own sheepish smile crinkling the corners of my eyes and then turned back to the lab, leaning my back on the bench-top to face Rizavi who was still pouring over the plans.

"I dunno, Pidge. This one has me stumped." Rizavi propped her elbows on the desk and muttered inaudibly to herself. "I've never been as good with the math as you and Hunk though. Want me to go grab him?"

"No..." I trailed off, still spacing out pretty hard.

"Hey! Earth to Pidge!" Rizavi cocked her eyebrows and snapped her fingers. Attaining my attention, she narrowed her eyes at me and looked me up and down inspecting me for the source of my malfunction. "What's going on in that big brain of yours? It's like you're not even here today."

"I know, and I'm sorry." I realized I was nervously clutching my elbows and tapping my foot. Rizavi looked at me even more curiously now. "It's just... Well... Can I talk to you about something personal?"

"YES!" Rizavi jumped up from the desk and clasped her hands together under her chin, wide eyed. Pidge doesn't get personal often. I shrunk back startled by her enthusiasm but she didn't seem to notice "I knew _something_ was going on with you. Spill!"

"I had a sort of crazy weekend..." Rizavi walked around to the front of the desk and sat on it, all ears. Her gaze was so intense I had to look down and focus on the pencil cup on my desk to continue. "So, Nathan broke up with me Friday night... And then me and Hunk got really drunk and made a lot of cookies. Like a lot of cookies." I smacked my palm to my head, embarrassed. _Am I really talking about this?_ " And there were a lot of drunken hugs and I started crying again at some point... Did I mentioned I started out a crying mess? And by the end of the night he carried me to his room..."

I stopped when Rizavi squealed through closed lips. She looked like she was going to burst but she held it in so I could finish. "And I slept in his bed with him. But we didn't do anything!" I wagged my finger at her "We just talked till we fell asleep... and he held me... Er... spooned me all night." Rizavi was holding her hands over her mouth now but I could still make out the smile on her face. " And I tried to call Matt and talk to him about it Saturday morning but I chickened out because my dad walked in the room. I just really need to talk to someone about this because I have all these confusing feelings I've never felt before... And I think I like him?"

I stopped my ramble, wincing a bit when I looked up at Rizavi and braced myself for the overwhelming surge of energy I knew was coming next. "Pidge! That's insane!" She waved her arms in the air in a hushed yell. "I can't believe you didn't text me about Nathan! And Hunk!"

"I know! Everything happened so fast... and I've been overwhelmed by my thoughts, Nadia. I don't know what to do. I mean, I think I want to pursue this with him..." I was blushing now and I could feel butterflies tumbling around in my tummy. "But I don't want to move too fast either. You know? I don't want him to think that I'm rebounding. Or to ruin a new relationship because I'm rebounding."

Rizavi was more than amused. "Pidge, this is fantastic. Nathan was such a stiff." She shook her head in tickled delight. "And the thought of you with Hunk is adorable. It actually makes a lot of sense."

I buried my burning face in my hands while Rizavi talked. The butterflies turned into nerves that sank to the bottom of my gut. _What if Hunk was just a drunk cuddler and it didn't mean anything? What if it did mean something and I ruined it?_ I let out a painful whine at the thought.

"Alright, calm down. You're worrying about things that might not even happen. The worst case scenario you're imagining is also statistically the least likely one to happen. Remember? Trust the math, Pidge." I looked up to her and bit my thumb, skeptical but listening. "But there is something you should be aware of. You know the new girl?"

"Bhranti?"

"Yes!" Rizavi pointed her finger right at the tip of my nose in confirmation. "Word on the grape vine is she has a crush on Hunk. She's just been biding her time because she's been waiting for things to blow over and settle down ever since she found out his engagement ended."

"Oh..." I rarely listened to workplace gossip. I conversed with my friends and colleagues, sure. I just didn't keep up with all the drama. Bhranti was a pretty, intelligent girl with silk black hair that never flew out of place and warm brown skin that never blemished. I twirled my hair and shrugged. "Do you think he would go for her? I mean... Do you think she'll beat me to the punch? I just need a little more time to process things..."

"I don't think she really compares to you in Hunk's eyes, but you never know. Marking your territory can't hurt."

She said it so casually I was a bit appalled "I don't own him, Nadia!"

"Well, no, but if anyone has dibs on him it's you! Just casually and cordially let her know that she has some stiff competition... and that she doesn't stand a chance. Then you'll have all the time you need." Rizavi winked triumphantly at me.

"Well... How do I even do that? I don't get the whole social hierarchy crap." I looked down at my shoes, defeated.

"Maybe just come up for air and hang out around the water cooler every once and a while, Pidge!" Rizavi's enthusiasm was uncanny. It's no wonder that documentary got so much better once she'd gotten her hands on it. "If she see's you and Hunk interacting more, and she knows you live together, I'm sure that'll be enough to intimidate her and convince her that you two are closer than just work colleagues."

I looked over my shoulder back out the window to Hunk and Bhranti working on the shop floor.

She was giggling at something. _Probably one of Hunk's jokes._ I felt a pang of jealousy teem through me and I turned back to Rizavi. Her words were beginning to sound more reasonable by the second. "Maybe you're right Nadia... I guess it couldn't hurt... And heck, even I could do that. If it's really that simple..."

I laughed nervously at myself.

_I can't believe I'm doing this._

Rizavi smiled at me and crossed her arms on her chest. "Precisely. Now go mark your territory."

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

-Hunk's POV-

 

 

I held up another metal panel against the frame for Bhranti to drill into place. My new apprentice has been at the Garrison for three weeks now, but last week was her first week of training with me. She's bright and chatty. I like talking myself, but with Bhranit it was immediately clear that it's just fine to listen and let her do most of the talking. The dynamic worked pretty well considering I do most of the heavy lifting.

I felt the sweat trickling down the back of my neck and my mind wandered while Bhranti worked the drill and talked. "So I'm going to see an art show. One of my friends has her own exhibit... Do you have any plans this weekend?" Bhranti is a sweet girl. Really friendly, with lots of questions. Personal questions.

"Uhh, no." I said between breaths "But next weekend I'm going out with some old friends of mine." She secured the last screw and I let go, letting my hands rest on my hips. About that time I saw Pidge emerge from the lab. It's been challenging enough focusing on work since the events that unfolded this weekend without wondering where she is and what she's doing all day. I thought about her watching me from the window and how my heart nearly stopped when my eyes met hers.

_I wonder how long she'd been standing there... What she was thinking about..._

Pidge's feet left the stairs and she skirted around the workstation next to ours making a beeline straight for me. "Here comes the boss." I chuckled and stepped past Bhranti to lean against the frame and wait for Pidge. Bhranti let a puzzled laugh but didn't seem to get why I found the statement funny.

_My hands are sweating._

Pidge stopped in front of me and beamed shyly. "Hey, Hunk!" She flicked her hair out of her face and shoved her hands in her lab coat pockets the way she does when she's nervous and trying not to fidget. Her unusually timorous manner had me in frenzy to keep my imagination from running wild.

We never really talked about her sleeping in my bed. I was too scared to once the buzz wore off. Things felt different between us... But I couldn't tell if that was reality or my own feelings clouding my perception.

"Hey, what's up?" My voice cracked a little bit and I covered it up with a cough. Bhranti had walked up to stand beside me. I hadn't noticed until Pidge's eyes darted between us before landing and staying on me.

"When you get a chance can you come upstairs to the lab?" She swayed and nodded toward the stairs. "Nadia and I are going over some of the plans and we've come across a small hiccup. We thought you could help us with it?"

"Sure, I'll be up in a sec." I motioned clumsily to Bhranti remembering that leaving people out of conversations is rude. "We've just got a few more panels to install."

"Great!" Pidge started to walk off but turned back around, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, and I was wondering about dinner tonight! My grandma has this great chicken and dumpling recipe but I always mess it up when I try to make it myself... do you think we could try that out? I've yet to see you fail to make a dish." She said, unintentionally cutting Bhranti off who was still trying to talk about the art show this weekend.

"Yeah! Dumplings sound great! I can't wait to clock out and see this recipe."

_And get the heck home. With you._

Pidge looked like she was radiating and I blinked as my heart swelled. It didn't feel like I'd said anything particularly special, but if that smile was there for me, who cares?

"Me either." Pidge turned on her heels and bounced back to the stairs, I watched her climb two steps at a time back to the lab, a little ball of pep.

"So you know Dr. Holt pretty well?" Bhranti broke into my daydreams. "I met her when I first started working here and I've read all of her research, but I can't say I ever really had a conversation with her." She looked at me with prying eyes and I got this inkling feeling that she was trying to artfully pick apart the details of mine and Pidge's relationship. It made me a little nervous.

_I don't even fully know the details of our current relationship._

"Oh, yeah!" I grabbed another panel and hoisted it up to the frame indifferently for Bhranti to drill in. I inwardly hoped the work would distract her from intruding into my personal life. "Pidge and I go way back. She's been my best friend for years."

I heard the sound of the drill stop and caught a glimpse of Bhranti failing to conceal a surprised look that crept over her face "Pidge? You mean Dr. Holt is the Pidge?" She pointed the drill at me. "You two were paladins of Voltron together!"

"Yup! The whole left side of it!" I chuckled uneasily then grunted as sweat began to bead on my brow from supporting the weight of the panel.

"Oops!" Bhranti snapped back into focus and resumed drilling. I could see she was somewhat flustered and was trying to continue the conversation casually. I guess it would be weird being here three weeks and not realizing your boss was a double celebrity. "She looks so different from the old pictures of the little teenager with short hair. I mean, she's still short... But she's really grown up... And pretty. I didn't make the connection." Bhranti bit her lip. "I thought she was a boy for the longest time."

"Huh..." I shrugged attempting to cover up my annoyance. "To the untrained eye, sure." But the statement was uncalled for and the more it hung in the air the more it bothered me. "I kinda always suspected there was something different about her, even when she was pretending to be Pidge Gunderson."

Pidge used to hate it whenever people mistook her for a boy. Like, sure, that was the point at first. Otherwise her plan wouldn't have worked and she never would have found her family... But still. She'd never admitted it, but I knew her so well she didn't have to. I knew whenever she was inwardly sulking. Whenever something hurt her pride.

"How do you mean?" Bhranti inquired, placing the last screw.

_At what point did this conversation get so personal?_

I began to feel slightly self-conscious as I rubbed the sweat from the back of neck "She... or he at the time... was just unique. I got curious and I read his diary one day. And then when we became paladins we started doing all these team building exercises and I sort of figured it out."

There was a pause and I thought we were done with the subject until, of course, we weren't. "She and Dr. Walsh seem to be pretty perfect for each other."

_This girl will not stop digging._

"They... er... just broke up. This weekend, actually."

"What?! The way people were talking it sounded like they were bound to get married! And she didn't even take a day off to recover... She's acting like nothing happened."

Bhranti's critical tone was enough to rally me to Pidge's defense. "People were saying the same thing about me and Shay. And, to be fair, I didn't take any time off when my engagement ended either." I said a bit more sternly than I had intended. "I came straight to work here in Pidge's lab. This project wasn't even supposed to start for several more months. But I moved up moving in to her apartment and here we are. She's honestly done so much for me since everything happened..."

I trailed off remembering how she'd thrown away her table for our office. All the things she'd bought me to make me feel at home. Every little thing she did for me without hesitation... And the night I had stained her shirt with my tears and slept on her chest while she held me...

"Sounds kind of romantic."

Her words came shattering into my private thoughts again making me flustered. I couldn't stop the small blush creeping onto my nose.

_I don't need my coworkers gossiping about my relationship with Pidge. At least not before the relationship even starts._

I felt a burning sensation as the tips of my ears reddened. "It's not like that. Er... I better get up there and see what I can help with." I jogged off not waiting for a response, narrowly escaping what had felt like an interrogation.

_The rest of the panels can wait._

I topped the stairs to see Rizavi sitting on the desk while Pidge still struggled with the work laid out before her. Lines were creased into Pidge's brow in consternation while she hunched over the math, scrawling unsuccessfully. When she heard me enter the room her shoulders softened in relief and she looked up, smiling while she tucked her pencil behind her ear.

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

-Pidge's POV-

 

 

"How is Bhranti doing?" Rizavi slid coolly off the desk and walked past Hunk to the window.

"Fine. She's picking up on the job quickly and doing very well." Hunk seemed curt and uninterested in the question as he walked toward my desk and rested his hand on the back of my chair, stooping over me to scrutinize the plans and formulas. I couldn't help feeling a little glad that he didn't want to talk about her. That he was far more concerned about coming straight to me and the work.

"So what do we have here?" he pondered aloud. "Ohhh I see. That, is a problem."

Hunk lightly plucked the pencil out from behind my ear despite the cup of writing utensils sitting out on my desk to his left. I felt my heart race and snuck a glance at Rizavi as Hunk pulled a chair over and settled in beside me and began to work. She saluted me and left the room, proudly smirking the whole way out the door.

Hunk seized upon my most recent scribble and slid it out from under my hand across the desk toward him. His arm brushed mine while he scratched out some calculations and I secretly enjoyed the way he casually shared my space. I leaned my head in next to his and we sat elbow to elbow while I peered around his arm and watched him add to my problem in neat handwriting. He wrote lightly for such a big guy.

I absently looked over his hands and arms and thought about them firmly planted on my hips and wrapping around my body. How warm and strong they felt holding my body to his. Hunk grunted, shifting in his seat while he thought and his knee gently bumped mine under the desk. With anyone else I would have flinched back and apologized for encroaching on their personal space, but I staid my ground relishing the touch. Hunk kept his leg there pressed comfortably against mine, not pulling away.

_Maybe Nadia is right. Maybe Bhranti doesn't stand a chance compared to me..._

"I think you're onto something here..."

For a second I thought I had spoken out loud as panic flew through me. "Pidge?" Hunk was waiting for my response. He pushed me again with his knee, on purpose this time, while he quizzically searched my face for confirmation and tapped the tip of his pencil to the finished calculation on the page. A wave of relief washed over me.

_He meant the math._

"Yes! That's it!" I put my hand on his arm and leaned over to press my cheek to his shoulder and hug his bicep. "Hunk, you're a genius!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bhranti means 'daydream.' Just a lil' fun fact for ya. Also, Rizavi as the best girl friend is the cooliest.


	8. Declination for Independence

-Hunk's POV-

 

 

The dryer buzzed and Chip hopped off the couch to unload the laundry, walking backwards away from the T.V. while Bii-Bo-Bi jumped up and down yelling wildly while lights flashed colorfully on the screen. Apparently the game show contestant had won something from the way she waved her tentacles in the air and cheered...? I hardly knew what was going on outside the realm of my desk. Hell, I barely knew what I'd been reading _at_ my desk.

Today was the day. Or, tonight was, rather. Lance would be arriving at the apartment this afternoon, after which we would all be going out for a night at the bar with friends. Tonight I am planning on making my move with Pidge...

I've been up since 7:30 this morning. And before that I laid in my bed wide awake for over an hour unable to go back to sleep until I eventually gave up. I'm wired and completely anxious, an electric mess of unrelenting eagerness and impatience built up from two weeks' worth of irrepressible anticipation. What was the point of sleeping anyway? She was all I dreamt about last night. It was like I hadn't even slept.

It was nearing 10:15 and I had already cleaned the entire apartment - excepting the laundry Chip had done for me this morning. The coffee maker sputtered as the last drop of warm, black motivation juice dripped into the pot and steam hissed, swirling up from the lid as it vaporized into the air. This is the second pot this morning. I mostly made it for Pidge thinking she would be up by now.

I glanced over to the hallway that showed no new signs of detectable movement and stifled the sigh rising up in my throat, scraping my chair back to get up and top off my mug. "How long is she going to sleep?!" I huffed plainly to Chip and placed the pot back onto the burner. I reached for the teaspoon and plopped two scoops of sugar into the cup before turning to the refrigerator to grab the jug of milk.

"You know how long she can sleep. She's practically a rock."

_A rock I want to love._

Chip snapped a clean towel in retort and then folded it neatly. "Go wake her up! Don't you guys have to go grocery shopping before Lance gets here anyway?"

"Yeah. We do." I took a sip from my mug and then smacked it down onto the counter with authority. Chip had lost interest in my dilemma which was clear from the way he popped straight back to his spot on the couch, not seeming to notice the revelation he'd inspired in me. _Never mind him._ I marched past the couch to Pidge's room, flinging the door open.

You couldn't see her except for a messy bun that poked out of a rounded lump of blankets curving overtly around her sleeping body. Snickering to myself, I sucked in a deep breath and leapt across the room in two large strides roaring "GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE" and jumping on top of the now frantic lump in the bed.

"ARGHHH!! Hunk!" Pidge's initial surprise subsided and she stopped flailing as she recognized me and began to laugh "What are you doing?!"

"We're going grocery shopping today! Remember?" I had her pinned beneath the blankets between my knees. She grunted as she tried to turn to face me. I lifted myself up a smidge to let her roll over onto her back only to my dig hands into either side of her ribs, tickling her mercilessly.

"AHHHHH!!!" she screamed "NO!!" Pidge was laughing uncontrollably now as she squirmed under my weight trying without success to break free. "Okay! Hahaha! AHHHH! I'm awake! You win!"

"Hahaha... You promise to get up?" I was panting now, too.

"Yes, I promise!" She giggled. Her hair had fallen out of the bun in the ruckus and her brown eyes glittered up at me between tousled strands. _Tonight is too far away._ I rolled off of her to mask my blush, hanging my legs over the side of the bed with my back to her while I regained myself.

Pidge rolled over onto her side so that she faced me with her knees in my back. She pulled her blankets back up to her chin as she giggled "you're crazy" and smiled playfully.

I coughed to clear my throat and turned on the bed, reaching my arm over her hip and planting my hand firmly on the mattress behind her so I leaned over her "You're supposed to be getting out of bed." I chimed raising my voice to mimic hers.

"Just five more minutes?" Pidge tried to look innocent and sweet but she couldn't get the words out without giggling.

"No way!" I stood up from the bed "We're already behind schedule as it is thanks to your lazy butt!" I grabbed the edge of her blankets in my hands and started to tug while I prompted "Get a move on, missy!"

Pidge squealed and held her ground to which I pulled even harder. We were both laughing now as I pulled her up from the bed along with the blankets she was still trying unsuccessfully to hold over her body. When she rose up onto her knees to face me I drew her and the blankets into my chest, wrapping my arms around her and ending the tug-of-war.

"Hunk!" She continued to laugh and squirm through pants as I picked her up and swung her around to walk out of the room. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" she shouted into my neck. Then more seriously, "I'm not dressed!"

It was too late. I realized my error as I looked across the room to see myself in the bedroom mirror holding onto Pidge wearing nothing but a t-shirt and panties. Her shirt was rolled up under my arms, revealing two dimples in her back hovering cutely over her lilac lacy butt that stared back at me as it rounded over her smooth, bare legs that dangled down to the floor against my body. The sight of her caused sparks to fly through me until something in my head told me _this is wrong. You're not supposed to see that!_

My face flushed and I felt heat rushing to my ears "OH MY GOSH!" I set her on the ground and quickly wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, averting my eyes as I did so. "Pidge, I'm so sorry!"

Pidge was blushing too but her face wasn't nearly as dark as the rich scarlet that flowed over mine. "It's okay Hunk. You didn't know." She smiled meekly while she reassured me and still managed to laugh at herself despite being indecent.

I was mortified.

"It's kinda funny... and I'm definitely awake now."

"Uhh..." I laughed trying to think what to say and took a step back from her. "I'll just be waiting for you on the couch..." I threw my thumb over my shoulder toward the living room "Whenever you're ready."

I walked out of Pidge's room and closed the door behind me in disbelief before sauntering foolishly over to the kitchen to grab my mug. I stood there by the counter for a moment staring into the caramel colored liquid. Dazed. I dumped the still warm coffee into the sink then walked to the living room and plopped down on the couch opposite of Chip.

_No more caffeine for me._

Zosma flew over and landed in my lap for pets. I ran my hand over her fur absently, looking through Bii-Bo-Bi hollering on the T.V. and zoning out. All I could see was that embarrassing... yet fantastic incident... replaying in my mind.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

We both miraculously survived the calamity I had so thoughtlessly caused at the start of the day.

The cart squeaked from the weight of our groceries while I pushed it along through the store. Pidge walked ahead of me dressed in dark blue skinny jeans and a black VDOTU t-shirt with a red zip-up hoodie and black Converse sneakers. I swear to glob when she finally walked into the living room ready to go - _and fully clothed_ \- I felt like I'd just beheld my stunning prom date walking down to me from a staircase who descended straight from heaven itself.

_I'm practically bewitched._

Pidge bent her head over the shopping list and checked items off while she walked. Her hips swayed easily with her laid-back gate and her jeans hugged her curves sweetly, pulling me along after her. _She could be wearing the baggiest, grayest jumpsuit in the world and I'd still think she was absolutely breathtaking._

"We've pretty much gotten all of the perishables on our list." Pidge stopped at the end of the paper towel isle and I halted the cart. "Now we just need toiletries and what not." She looked up from her list and peered around the end-cap and scoped out the isle, then looked back at me and the cart nearing maximum capacity. "This isle looks crowded. I'll head down here on my own if you want to go on ahead and grab shampoo and stuff. I'll meet you there."

"Sounds like a plan to me." I saluted her "You're a brave woman." Pidge rolled her eyes and smiled as she walked past me to begin weaving through the other shoppers on the hunt for paper towels and T.P. I meandered over to the isles positioned along the adjacent wall and rolled down the first one for deodorant. I was still half-ass daydreaming about Pidge... and her figure.

I began scanning the shelves while I wondered how the night would go. I honestly thought I already blew my chances this morning... But Pidge was cool about it. She was almost more than cool. It kind of feels like she's showing off. Or at least I think so... Unless I'm imagining her relaxed shoulders and the spark of excitement in her eyes. The way her hips lazily undulate and beg to be admired. All I know is I can barely keep my eyes off of her now, and Pidge is anything but dense.

"Hmmm..." I spotted Pidge's brand right off the bat and nabbed the two-pack in her favorite scent - _shower clean_ \- because 'the two-pack's a better deal and I sweat a lot.' I walked a couple paces further and stopped in front of the men's deodorant selection, pausing to survey them all thoughtfully. I always get the same brand - _for the most part_ \- but I like to change up the scents between purchases. So I stood there thinking while I lifted 'extreme blast' from the shelf to remove the lid and sniff. I heard the footsteps of another shopper coming down the isles so I stepped closer to the shelves to make room. I picked up another stick to sniff.

_I wonder what Pidge would like best._

"Still changing up your antiperspirant every time I see."

I froze with my nose over a scent called 'cool comfort' as a jolt of panic charged through me at the sound of that all-too-familiar voice. I whirled around to face her, re-capping the deodorant in a frenzy and dropping it in the cart as I did so.

"Shay! What're you doing here!?" I stammered, then more calmly "Sorry. That came off rude." I held my hands up to my ex fiancé "I mean... I wasn't expecting to see you here? Or on Earth." I winced.

_Why is this day so wacky?!_

Shay lifted her hand to fiddle with her earring, standing there like a mirage. I blinked furiously just in case this was a conjuring of my imagination too, but sure enough Shay was standing right there. "I apologize. It was not my intention to surprise you." She looked bashful and a bit nervous. "I'm here visiting a friend... We were walking by and I saw you so I thought I would say hello." She paused and looked down at her feet and she smiled sheepishly. "I was going to call you while I was here anyway."

"Uhh... Well, hello." _What could she possibly want to call me about?_ "Uhm... How are you?" I fumbled with the words like Charlie Brown with a football. As if things couldn't get any worse I spotted Pidge heading my way. Luckily she caught sight of Shay at the last second and instinctively side-stepped, ducking behind the end cap out of our line of view. I awkwardly grabbed another stick of deodorant in a scent I didn't even want and dropped it into the cart trying not to give away Pidge's location with my panic-stricken face while Shay talked.

"I'm well. How are you?" Shay was playing with her hands now and I thought I detected a hint of sadness in her eyes "You look... Happy."

My hands gripped the handle of the shopping cart and I channeled my energy into not fidgeting in a storm of nervous ticks.

_I can't believe I'm standing here talking to my ex fiancé in the middle of the store meanwhile my best friend slash roommate slash crush whose butt I saw this morning and who I'm planning on taking out and courting TONIGHT is hiding around the corner._

"Uhh, yeah. I'm great, actually." _What the heck do even I say?_ "Work on the project is exciting and everything is going really well." _Sure. Great. Talk about how much you love the reason she dumped you._

"Hunk?" Shay looked serious like she'd just picked up a bit of courage.

_Courage for what...?_

She took a timid step toward me and her eyes flashed wistfully. It was the way she used to look at me when we first started cooking together. When we'd really had a chance to get to get to know each other and to get close.

_Oh no._

My stomach twisted into knots and I waited.

_I know that look._

"I think I made a mistake... Could we meet later and talk?" She took another step toward me. "About us." Her eyes softened clearly hoping for me to consent.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I had expected myself to be afraid, to hesitate, to crack and give in to save her the tears because compromising myself to keep peace used to hurt less than seeing her upset. _Used to._ But the words came to me without thought or pause as they tumbled unwavering out of my mouth.

"Oh." Shay crossed her arms and rubbed her elbows as if she were cold. She looked me over thinking long and hard while she tried to search out a reason. "Is there someone else?"

_Yes. But that's not your business. And even if there wasn't the answer is still 'no.'_

"Look, it's just that I'm doing really well right now..." I looked at her firmly. "You have to understand that I was not _okay_ for a while after we split." My grip tightened around the cart handle. "Shay, I think we can be friends eventually... But I'm not ready for that right now."

She bowed her head and nodded silently, her downcast eyes misting over. I couldn't tell whether or not she bought it. "It was good to see you again, Hunk." She feigned a smile but I didn't miss the sound of tears building up in her voice. "I hope to see you again someday."

Shay walked away and I just stood there. When she cleared the corner I crumpled over the cart and buried my face in my arms. "I can't believe that just happened." I groaned. Toilet paper, paper towels, and a roll of tinfoil tumbled into the cart from Pidge's arms as she skidded to me across the linoleum floor. I felt her hand on my arm and her voice asking "are you okay?" to which I sighed, tilting my head in her direction to reveal a painful, fake grin forced onto my face.

"Hunk?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm okay." I stood upright and shook my hands down at my side while I exhaled and let the uncomfortable vibes fly out from my fingertips. "Oddly enough."

"So... You really don't want to meet with her and catch up? Possibly get your relationship back?" Pidge dug her hands into her jacket pockets and peered into my face with pursed lips.

I shook my head. "No, I don't. Seriously, I'm good now. I still care about Shay... But I don't want that relationship back." I looked down at the woman watching me with worry and care written on her face and I knew that I meant it. "And I meant it when I said I hoped we could be friends again."

She raised her eyebrows, impressed, as we started walking over to the shampoo isle together. "Wow, Hunk. This is really big for you." Pidge's eyes twinkled as she smirked.

"What?"

"Lemme guess, the 'someone else' is Bhranti?" She snickered.

"What! No way! Are you insane?!" I pushed the cart between Pidge and the shampoo she was inspecting so she'd have to look at me.

"Oh, c'mon!" She playfully shouldered me "You didn't say there wasn't someone else. And she makes googly eyes at you _alllll_ day at work." Pidge batted her eyelids at me while she teased me and my heart fluttered in my chest.

"Well at least Bhranti keeps her pants on when I'm around." I plucked her shampoo and conditioner off the shelf and dropped it in the cart, chuckling.

Pidge swung to punch me in the shoulder and I caught her fist in my hand and pulled her toward me, disarming her. "Oh! Says the guy who throws himself onto pant-less girls sleeping innocently in their own beds!"

"Touché, Dr. Holt." I let her go and she reached around me to grab my body wash off the shelf.

"Dr. Holt's my Dad. To you I'm Pidge Gunderson."

Pidge strut around to front of the cart and stood on the end of the basket with her fingers looped through the wire and she relented. "But seriously, I can tell you've been doing better since everything happened..." I started pushing the cart with Pidge aboard, taking us toward the checkout line "You literally just faced you ex and stood by what you wanted. That's huge."

"You know what? You are absolutely right! It feels kinda liberating." I stopped and looked Pidge warmly in the eyes then reached over the cart to her and extended my closed fist. She smiled and returned the bump.

"C'mon! Let's go home and get pumped for a night out."


	9. Purple Shirt

-Lance's POV-

 

I steered the car off the busy main street onto a quiet winding road that was lined on either side by neatly pruned Chinese pistache trees. Their strong, stalky trunks lead into sturdy branches that splayed symmetrically about their center. The branches pleasantly displayed a bushy gradient of yellow, orange, and red leaves cut sharply against a clear blue sky. The entrance was marked by a large wooden sign that read _'Galaxy Square'_ with orange and red chrysanthemums mounded atop dark brown mulch around its base.

I drove along slowly while I peered over the steering wheel to read the letters that marked the identical buildings as I passed. _It sure has been a while since I've been here._

Though my memory was fuzzy, everything was familiar and the apartment complex was surprisingly easy to find. It was hemmed in by a few housing editions around the corner from a lone gas station and grocery store. Hunk and Pidge lived a convenient three miles from the Garrison's military base that sat just on the edge of town. The bar we would be visiting was located just a couple blocks over on Main Street. In all, it was a nice quiet place to live.

I couldn't remember the last time I came to Pidge's place... Everyone usually comes to dinner on Altea whenever we visit. Or Daibazaal. Depending on how busy Keith is. I eased my foot into the brakes as I turned toward Building G and pulled the car into a space near the base of the stairs. I had just dropped Coran off at Shiro's place several minutes earlier before arriving here. While I was there I went inside to help Coran with his bags and say hello to everyone before heading off to Pidge's. Much to my disappointment, Keith wasn't there yet.

I was honestly really hoping to see Keith for a minute before I had to share him with the group. We'd gotten so close by the end of the war. Then when the work was done and we all went our separate ways. I'd gone from being his right hand man to practically just being pen pals. If even that. The transition was hard.

And then you have Pidge and Hunk. Those two live and work together. Every. Single. Day. And their friendship couldn't be stronger. Hell, they may even be loving each other by the end of the night. It amazed me how those two managed to stay so close. Funny. Voltron was gone, but Team Punk never stopped.

Mine and Keith's situation was the complete opposite. Then again, Keith's not much of a talker... and a lot of our friendship stemmed from how much we relied on each other when we were working together. Now we aren't even corresponding on a regular basis. I turned the car off and leaned forward in my seat, hugging the steering wheel and looking down between my knees.

_This car needs to be vacuumed._

"Dude, quit worrying. Keith probably came here first and he's already upstairs with Hunk and Pidge waiting for you to show up."

A hopeful smile crept over my face and I laughed at my silliness. _Why am I so nervous?_ I looked up at the building and reached over to pull the handle, opening the door as I easily rested my foot onto the asphalt and I stepped out of the car. The atmosphere pulled me forward as if I were weightless and I sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air.

I stretched my arms restlessly over my head and then relaxed with an excited shiver as I turned to grab a bag out of the back seat. "God, I missed September on Earth." I swung the bag over my shoulder with a giddy shrug, pleased with myself despite the nerves pulsing through me. My light aqua sweater was perfectly matched for a day in the crisp fall air.

_This weather is perfect. Perhaps tonight will be too._

I stepped around the car door and just stood there for a moment. My eyes locked on the stairs and I sized them up with my mission in mind. Assist in kindling a romantic relationship between Hunk and Pidge. _No biggy. That one'll probably take care of itself, honestly._ Re-kindle my friendship with moody, distant, loner Keith. _Easy._

"Operation wingman is in effect!" I booty bumped the car door shut with authority and skipped up the stairs to Pidge's apartment. I banged repeatedly on the door with my free hand while I looked down at the aging door mat between my feet.

_This thing's been here forever..._

"ALRIGHT! We hear you!" said Chip's muffled voice.

The door gave way beneath my fist and I fell forward through the entryway onto my robot friend. "DUDE! How old is that thing?!" I was still thinking about the door mat. I grabbed Chip's metal shoulder and caught myself mid-fall. "Pidge! When are you going to buy a new door mat? Seriously!" I turned my back to the room to close the still flung open door.

"I dunno!" Pidge said to me. She only looked up for a moment. "I love that welcome mat... It's sentimental." Pidge shrugged and then smiled. "Gimme a second, I'm almost done with this." She said returning to her work.

_Welcome mat. That's right. Because Pidge and Hunk can read hieroglyphics._

My head swiveled on my neck as I gaped about at Pidge's new set up. She and Hunk were sitting across from each other at their desks focused on seemingly separate tasks. Pidge was leaning over her laptop with a pair of light blue electronic glasses sitting atop her nose. The code scrolling by on the computer screen was reflected on her digital lenses.

_As if she needed more screens._

"Glad you're here, Lance!" Hunk said a bit preoccupied but nonetheless happy to have me here. He was propped up on his elbow scanning over blueprints for what looked like a massive energy generator - _probably for the ship they're building_ \- and finishing the remains of a sandwich. Every now and then he glanced up at his own laptop to see lines of code coming in from Pidge. Zosma lay resting on the corner of his desk in a spot that looked as if it had been cleared just for her to sit whenever she liked.

"Is this how you guys pre-game?!" I said crossing my arms over my waist as I leaned forward to them both. A disapproving scowl etched my face and I looked around for the last member of our party. "And where the heck is Keith?!"

"So what if it is!?" Hunk broke first. He powered down his laptop and scooted back from his desk, throwing his arm over the back of his chair to face me. "And he's not here, man. I thought he was staying at Shiro's?"

"Well he wasn't there either!" I said. Chip tugged my bag from my shoulder to walk it over to the T.V. and set it on the floor while I despaired. I hung my head in distress while Hunk eyeballed me quizzically. I inhaled as I looked up.

_This is fine._

"Will you help bring in the rest of my bags?" I beckoned to Hunk with my hands clasped under my chin.

Hunk pointed to my bag in the corner on the floor. "That's not it? How many bags does one man need?!" Hunk stood up from his desk and walked to the kitchen with his face still turned to me. He placed his plate in the dish washer and then leaned on the counter, his gaze shifting between me and the lone bag.

"I couldn't decide what to wear tonight! So I brought a couple extra things just in case."

"Lance, you are literally the only person I know who thinks he needs to pack his entire house for an overnight stay in a tiny apartment." Hunk's face broke into a smile. "I really missed you, buddy. Is the car unlocked?"

"Yes! Thank you!"

I bowed graciously to Hunk as he walked past me and slapped his hand on the back of the couch. "C'mon, Chip! The prince is here and his carriage needs unloading."

The door closed after Chip and Hunk and I looked back to Pidge who was still 'wrapping up' her work. "I can't believe Keith is late after all the time I spent planning this weekend for all of us."

"Lance, we literally just up and decided we were going to the bar. How much did you actually have to plan?" Pidge stopped typing long enough to reach up and adjust her glasses on her nose. "Besides, it's only 6:30. Keith still has time. He'll be here."

"I planned plenty... of... stuff! Well... I wrote it in my planner anyway!" I marched past Pidge, rounding the corner of the couch as I headed straight for the hallway. "Screw this! I'm checking in!"

"Checking in on what?" Pidge said after me. I turned to the door on the right and forcefully grabbed the knob, pushing my way into the room. As the door 'clicked' I could hear Pidge swiftly pushing her chair back in her funny dining office as she jumped out of her seat to stop me. "LANCE! What the heck! Get out of my room!"

I scoped out the room and immediately spotted her portable video display resting on the nightstand. I could hear Pidge's footsteps rapidly closing in behind me so I lurched across the room and snatched up the display in one fell swoop.

"Okay! One, you're violating my privacy by even being in here!" Pidge slammed into my back and began tugging at my sweater. "Two, you could ask my permission to use my things!" Pidge jumped up, lunging at my elbow as I raised my arm over my head. I held the display out of her reach in my hand and turned within her grasp to face her.

"Relax, Pidge! I just need to make a call." I planted my free palm on Pidge's forehead and pushed. She skidded backwards away from me despite digging her heels into the carpet. Once I was out of range of her short arms I sidestepped and dashed out of the room. Pidge stumbled forward and caught herself on her bed with her palms, no doubt adding to her frustration.

Chip and Hunk entered the living room just as I did. They had returned with three more bags and my large, luxurious pillow. I plopped myself down on the couch next to Denebola and Rasalas who were snuggled up in the corner. Hunk and Chip piled the rest of my bags beside the T.V.

"Lance you are seriously so rude." Pidge towered over me (well, as much as Pidge can tower) beside the couch and glared. "Who do you need to call so badly that all formalities are out the window?!"

"How has Lance already annoyed you? We were only outside 5 minutes." Hunk interjected, looking between us with my pillow still tucked under his arm. I could see his brain working, piecing together the scenario behind his eyes. He looked purposefully at me and waited for an explanation.

"I'm just calling Keith because he's late and I'm worried he forgot about our plans." I looked down at the display clasped in my hands.

"And you left out the part where you barged into my room without permission. To use my things. Without permission." Pidge wasn't letting me off the hook.

"Oh whatever!" I threw my head back on the couch. "Like it's a big deal! Hunk probably goes into your room all the time!"

"Hunk lives here!" Pidge looked off to the side and rubbed her neck. "And he helps me put up my laundry and stuff..."

"Yeah, I noticed. Because I miraculously made it out of your room alive." I lifted my head to stick my tongue out at Pidge only to be hit in the face with my own pillow that Hunk hurled across the room.

"Would you two knock it off?" Hunk looked at me. "Lance, you know how Pidge is about her privacy and her stuff." Hunk looked to Pidge too. He was always so fair. "Pidge... It's Lance. Are you really surprised?"

"Hey!" I threw my pillow back at Hunk, but he caught it and dropped it on top of my bags.

"Oh, just call your boyfriend already." Hunk rolled his eyes and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Pidge stepped around my legs and squeezed onto the cushion between me and Hunk. He lifted his arm and placed it behind her shoulders as they both leaned in to me. Pfft. Lovebirds. Chip's head appeared next to mine as he leaned over the back of the couch and I looked around at my friends.

"Okay. I guess we're all calling Keith then."

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

-Keith's POV-

 

I had just unzipped my suitcase on my bed to begin packing when I noticed a call coming in from Pidge. I reached over and answered. "Hey, Pidge! Lance...?"

"Keith! What're you doing! You were supposed to be here by now!" Lance scolded me from Pidge's living room.

"Uhm... Hi, everyone...? I'm packing, Lance. What does it look like?" I looked at all the faces surrounding Lance and they waved.

"Yeah, well. You're late." He drilled in to me. I like Lance better when he's razzle-dazzled not razzle-frazzled. "What's taking so long?"

"Sorry. I had a meeting today that ran late. But I'm packing my bags now and I'm leaving as soon as I'm done." I stepped over to my closet to browse though some clothes.

"Well you better not flake out!" I couldn't see Lance's face but I could tell from the tone of his voice he was pouting. Hunk and Pidge giggled.

"Lance, you can literally see me packing right now." I walked back to the bed with a pair of jeans and a black long sleeve shirt with two broad, white horizontal stripes wrapping around the chest. I tossed the pants in the bag and began folding the shirt.

"What is that?!"

"Uhm..." I dangled the fabric in my hands and looked it over for snags and stains. Finding none, I looked to Lance. "A shirt...?"

Lance's eyebrows pulled together over the bridge of his nose and he carried on. "What's wrong with the shirt I bought you?"

_Is that what this is about?!_

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand and waved the shirt around. "I didn't realize I had to wear that shirt every time I see you from now on!"

"It's a nice shirt, Keith! You know that!" Lance relaxed and changed the subject. "So are you staying here at Pidge and Hunk's?"

"No. I told you when you called last time that I'm staying at Shiro's." I put the 'wrong' shirt in my suitcase and placed my hands on my hips. "And that apartment is tiny! They don't even have a dining room! Where do you think I'd sleep?!"

"We have T.V. trays!" Chip cut in.

"Well you're late, and Coran already claimed Shiro's spare bedroom." Lance shrugged. "You can share the hideaway bed with me. It's a full."

"No. No way I'm sharing a bed with you. Thank you, but I'll be fine on Shiro's couch." I sighed and looked around the room. Packing on a call with Lance is too much pressure. "Look, I gotta finish packing. I'll see you guys at the bar."

I turned off the display and turned to my dresser to grab some pairs of socks and underwear. Picking a few, I threw them into the suitcase and just stood there for a moment.

"Damn it."

I stomped over to the closet and started sifting through my clothes. I pushed them over on the rail one hanger at a time so as not to overlook anything.

Lance threw a surprise birthday party for me last year. My birthday fell on a weekday so the party was thrown on the following weekend. Thinking my birthday was already over, I didn't suspect a thing. Though I thought it was strange he had made such a big deal about taking me out to dinner.

He had bought me a long sleeve, button up shirt that was a nice purple somewhere between a light steel gray and lavender. I... read too much in to the situation. This is gonna sound crazy... But I thought that maybe the dinner was a date? Somehow? I dunno. It was dumb to think and I was wrong. Way, way totally wrong.

Surprise.

Either way... It would be good to go out and spend time with Lance and everyone. I've been so busy since becoming Emperor of Daibazaal.... I need a night out to cut loose.

I pushed aside a tank top and found the purple shirt hiding quietly behind it. I grabbed it off the hanger and I smiled. _I do look good in this shirt._ I folded it neatly and placed it on top of the wrong shirt in my suitcase.

"Alright. I just need to pack something to sleep in, then I can leave."

 


	10. This One's a Real Hit

-Hunk's POV-

 

 

"Alright, this is it."

The cab driver pulled the car over and turned to speak to the four of us who were crammed together in the backseat.

"Thanks, man!" Lance opened the back door and bolted over the curb. Meanwhile Chip, who hadn't anticipated Lance's eagerness to get inside the bar already and who now found himself suddenly missing the body that had been supporting his shoulder, fell out of the car after him.

Pidge and I glanced sideways at each other and laughed while they skipped on inside. Lance's easy going enthusiasm was contagious. It quieted my nerves. I leaned forward a bit and reached behind me while Pidge simultaneously slid down next to me in the seat to fish her debit card out of her pant pocket. "No, I've got it Pidge." I waved her off. "You go on ahead and I'll pay for the cab." I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket and started thumbing out cash for the driver.

"You sure?"

Pidge smiled sheepishly. Her eyes were bright and entrancing like a nebula I wanted to float away in. She sat there looking at me with a charming air about her that was both pleasantly cheery and irresistibly provocative. Like she didn't know where the night would take her or how, but she was prepared to go along and discover it all for herself.

_Oh man..._

"Yeah, of course." I ran my hand through my bangs to break free of her gaze. "Go." I smiled bashfully into my bill fold and prodded her with my elbow, gently shooing her out of the cab. Pidge pressed against me to shimmy her debit card back in her pocket and then scooted obediently over the seat to step out onto the sidewalk.

_She has to know what she's doing to me._

"Thank you, sir!" I slapped the bills into the driver's palm as I slid over the seat.

"Have a good night!" He looked to the open door where Pidge had just left from and then smiled wryly back to me. "And good luck!"

"Thank you." I hung my head and nodded to him, clearly caught in my conquest, then closed the cab door with a goofy smile plastered to my face. I turned around to see Pidge still standing by, patiently waiting for me to walk in with her. I had no clue whether or not she heard any of that.

"You coulda gone on in."

"I know. I wanted to go inside together." Pidge stood with her hands tucked behind her in her pant pockets. Her loose green sweater flowed over a pair of tight, black jeggings that molded flirtatiously over the curves of her body. Her wayward hair fluttered in the fall breeze while Voltron's colors illuminated her silhouette. The soft rainbow lights were thrown down on her by a large neon sign hanging over the bar entrance. _The Paladin._

She was positively vibrant.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." I stopped in front of her then turned slightly and presented my elbow, offering to escort her inside. "M'lady."

"You're such a dork." Pidge rolled her eyes but she couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at her lips and took over her face as she looped her arm through mine.

My heart skipped a beat.

We both looked up at the red brick building in mutual silence as we walked up. It felt so surreal having her there on my arm. Sure, I've ran with her hand in mine through battle plenty of times. Hoisting her up, catching her when she falls, carrying her when she was weak or injured, holding her. But this... I chuckled as I separated myself from Pidge's grip to grab the door. "I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to having a bar named after us."

"It is pretty weird." Pidge glided past me through the entrance and I was overcome by the smell of her perfume. It was a new scent that I'd never noticed on her before and it made my stomach fold in on itself at the thought that she might be wearing it for me. "To think I was barely old enough to drink when this place opened."

"That's them!" Lance was leaning with his back on a glass display case filled with bar themed t-shirts and koozies for sale. He motioned for the bouncer to note Pidge and me as we approached. "C'mon slow pokes! I already paid your cover charge."

Without further hesitation, Lance led us single file to our table. We wound casually through people clustered in groups around tables designated for dining and drinking. Talking and drinking. Playing pool and drinking. The warm, hazy room was dimly lit by an assortment of neon beer signs and randomly placed black lights that made our clothes glow in the dark. I heard Fergie's Clumsy playing over the speakers through the familiar din of conversation and laughter while bar goers worked on their first drinks of the evening, building their buzz.

The first few steps into the bar always filled me with a sensation of giddiness. My longing to have Pidge in my arms by the end of the night only served to add to that. _This is it._ I eased my stride and relaxed, locking on to Pidge's figure weaving ahead of me as we trailed after our companions. The sounds and atmosphere washed over me.

We arrived at our destination just a few paces from the bar. Keith sat at the head of a rectangular table with Shiro, Curtis, and Coran sitting in a line to his right. They were all talking and laughing elbow to elbow over half-eaten plates. Keith's glassy eyes twinkled when he spotted us and he threw his hand up in recognition. His body swayed gaily with the motion while the alcohol appeared to make time and space move slower just for him.

"Look who's late now!" Keith jibed.

"Fashionably late." Lance started to argue but immediately forgot about it when his eyes landed on Keith. He cocked his head, surprised, and plopped down in the chair next to him. "You wore the shirt." It was more a breathless statement than a question.

"Yeah, well..." Keith ducked away from Lance's smile and looked down at his bar-lit purple shirt. He looked caught off guard as if he'd forgotten what he was wearing. "You were right. It is a good shirt." Pidge and I glanced curiously to each other. We knew Keith could be sensitive but we hardly ever witnessed him being sentimental. Lance beamed and turned to Pidge who had taken the seat next to him. "Ponytail wore the shirt!" But I guess if it made Lance smile like that, who wouldn't?

"Hunk!" Coran excitedly lifted his glass across the table and pointed it to me as I took my seat. The black straw rolled back and forth along of the rim of the glass in my face. "Did you know this place sells iced tea yet it doesn't have a single drop of tea in it?" He peered down into the glass and swirled it, mixing the alcohol with the melting ice. "And it tastes a heap of a lot better than Pop Pop's Numville. There's no arguing that..."

I glanced at Shiro and Curtis - _the responsible members of the group_ \- who were snickering to each other like teenagers at the sight of a tipsy Coran. I crossed my arms on the table and leaned forward to my red haired friend. "Coran, how many of those have you had?"

"Oh? This is just the second one." He shrugged to me matter-of-factly and snatched up a fry from his plate. "I did start with a beer though. Awful stuff. I finished it but I had to switch. So our lovely waitress brought me this tea-less tea."

"Hello!" Just at that time our blonde waitress dashed to our table to address us new comers. "My name is Jessica. What can I start you all off with?" Jessica's ponytail bounced while she talked and passed menus to Lance, Pidge, and I. When she got to Chip he politely held his hands up and declined. "Oh, no thank you. I don't eat."

"Of course!" Jessica nodded with a perky smile across her face. She clutched the last menu lightly against her chest and looked back to the three of us expectantly.

"Oh, I'll have Corona. No glass, just the bottle." I began digging my wallet out of my back pocket again. "Angry Balls, please." Pidge smiled awkwardly at the name of her drink, the innuendo not having been missed on her, and Jessica nodded approvingly. Lance leaned around Pidge's shoulder and chimed in enthusiastically. "Shock Top for me!"

"Alright! And how will everyone be paying?"

"Card." I passed my debit card to Jessica and simultaneously grabbed Pidge's hand with her own debit card wrapped delicately in her fingers. The touch of her hand sent butterflies racing through me but I played it cool. "And put anything she orders on my tab." I tipped my head toward Pidge and she slapped my arm in playful protest while I shoved her hand down into her lap.

Curtis looked to me with a knowing smile on his face and turned his head curiously to Shiro who simply shrugged and chuckled. _I wonder if Shiro's been gossiping._ Keith noticed the unspoken exchange but it didn't seem to translate. He looked quizzically between me and Lance and then as Lance began to speak to Jessica and dig for his wallet his eyes widened. "Jessica!" Keith piped louder than necessary and scooted decisively in his chair to throw his arm around Lance's shoulders, drawing their heads together. "Go ahead and put anything my friend orders on my tab!"

"Are you sure, buddy?" Lance's cheeks went pink with surprise while he looked to inebriated Keith from the corner of his eye.

Keith squeezed Lance's shoulders, pulling them cheek to pink cheek. "Are you kidding me?! I'm an emperor now!" Keith slapped his hand happily between Lance's shoulder blades and released him. "I think I can afford a night out for my best friend!" He slapped his palms on the table affirmatively. "And a round of Vegas Bombs for the table!"

"Uhh... Except for Curtis and I!" Shiro raised his hand in alarm and Jessica winked.

"I'm assuming these bombs don't have any bombs in them?" Coran looked first to Keith, then to Jessica who broke out into an attractive, genuine laugh in response to Coran's sincere tone. She composed herself and sheepishly shook her head 'no.' "I'll be back with your _non_ -explosive drinks!" Jessica broke away from us and flitted to the bar... and I swear I caught Coran's eyes following her as she walked away.

"I can buy my own stuff!" Pidge shoved her shoulder into mine and slapped my knee.

 _"You..."_ I drew out the word and shoved her back. Every time she touches me it sends another wave of longing blazing through me. I paused to lean forward and plant my elbows back onto the table then continued. "...Can pay for stuff. A lot like how _you_ paid for groceries earlier today." I shrugged to Pidge and laced my fingers. "So I'm paying for the evening."

"Alright, fine." Pidge leaned forward onto the table - likewise. She looked over to Chip who looked like he was already bored with all of us. "Want some money for the arcade?"

"Yes please!" Chip hopped up and Pidge tossed him a coin pouch that she had brought just for him. Robots are social but they aren't really keen on drinking as you might have guessed.

Jessica eventually made her way back to our table while artfully balancing a tray loaded with glasses above her head. Coran clapped and bravoed for her when she successfully delivered the last drink to the table. Jessica curtsied graciously at the end of her performance and took Chip's now empty seat at the end of the table. "We really did luck out, didn't we? We got the best waitress in the whole building. On the whole planet, even!" Coran cupped his Vegas Bomb in his hands and took a test sip.

We all agreed and offered additional compliments for Jessica as the conversation began to turn again. Jessica talked with us at the table for bit before taking our food orders and heading back to work. Aside from what we needed, she left us to our evening. Which we all noticed was much to Coran's regret.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The next couple hours were delightful... and the food was magnificent. I loved having everyone together again. Especially in a setting less formal than Altea's pristine dining halls and ballrooms or Diabazaal's ever so militant _everything._ It felt... normal? Yeah, normal. So many things haven't felt normal in so long. No podiums, no diplomats, no meetings, no speeches, no blueprints, no talk of things so much greater than ourselves.

Just us being us.

And little moments like this kept creeping up more and more often and were steadily becoming the new norm. Shiro's going to be a father. Keith, Lance, and Coran are finally realizing that government will always be government and they need to make time to just be people with actual lives. I'm finally where I want to be and not worrying about where I should be. And Pidge...

She put her hand on my knee and laughed with her temple pressed against my shoulder while the whole table erupted with glee from the latest retelling of one of Lance's infamous stories.

"And I still can't believe we all didn't die inside that wormhole generator!" Lance banged his fist on the table and pointed at Coran who was wiping drunken tears from his red face. "Your case of the Slipperies ended up saving the day!"

Coran laughed so hard he nearly choked on his drink. He desperately swung his hands up over his mouth to prevent himself from spewing all over the place which only served to backfire. In his fit of drowning laughter he knocked his glass over, spilling tea-less tea all over his lap and the table.

The whole table was in discord now. Keith and Lance were laughing uncontrollably into each other's arms - _no help at all_ \- while Pidge and I fumbled with napkins in a haphazard attempt to sop up the mess before Jessica realized we trashed her table. Shiro watched it all unfold with a calculating look in his eye. It was as if he were measuring how much farther we'd all make it through this evening without further embarrassing ourselves.

Or maybe that was exactly what Shiro was thinking because Curtis looked to him and nodded. "Alright, buddy." Curtis passed Coran a couple of napkins for his lap which he happily accepted once he could breathe. "I think it's time to get you home."

"I think... perhaps you're right." Coran smiled through a fit of coughs with glistening eyes.

Shiro placed his hand on Curtis' shoulder. "I'll walk him up front if you want to call a cab." Standing up from the table he walked over to help the wobbly Altean to his feet. "Alright, buddy... Here we go..." Shiro grunted and they started to walk. "Goodnight everyone. We'll see you at the house, Keith." Curtis stood up to follow them out but stopped to look pointedly at Keith who still had his arm draped over Lance's shoulders. He had this knowing look in his eyes. The way only parents can look at you when they've glimpsed a bit of the future. "Close her down for us, guys." And with that he winked and hurried out the door.

"I'm gonna head to the bathroom before the band starts." Pidge hopped up from the table and excused herself. I nodded and watched her walk away for a moment. When I realized I was staring I felt a twinge of embarrassment and redirected my gaze to the heap of soaking napkins on the table.

"Dude!" Lance leaned over Pidge's seat and punched me in the shoulder. "I think this is totally going to work!"

"Yeah?" I took a bashful swig from my beer and looked sidelong to my friends.

"What's going to work?" Keith's eyes darted after Pidge. He looked curiously to Lance and then to me, just now realizing he was missing some vital information while his eyes continued to swim back and forth between us.

"I uhh..." I started only to be cut off.

"Hunk has a thing for Pidge and he's totally going to make a move tonight!"

"Huh...? Wow!" Keith blinked and looked over to the bathroom to see if Pidge was out yet. "That actually makes a lot of sense. I'm happy for you, man."

I picked at the label on the bottle with my thumb and my mouth twisted into a grin. "Yeah... So Lance put this all together to help me out. I really like her." I hadn't really talked to anyone about this since I called Lance a while back. Filling Keith in on the plan gave me a funny nervous feeling that made it feel all the more real.

_Game face, Hunk. You got this._

"Woah... Code red!" Keith leaned forward suddenly and beckoned for us to huddle in. _Tipsy Keith sure is energetic._ "Isn't that her ex sitting down at the bar?" Keith whispered so harshly it was hardly even a whisper. It was lucky the bar was so loud.

"Seriously, Keith! Don't even joke like that!" I turned discreetly with Lance to follow Keith's gaze only to whirl back around in a jolt of panicked disbelief. "Are you freaking kidding me?! That's him. That's the back of freaking Nathan's freaking head!" I buried my face in my arms and groaned.

_How is this even happening?_

Lance reached over and rubbed my back reassuringly. The drinking clearly dulled his senses because his hand felt clumsy and overly affectionate fumbling over my sweater. "Hey, it's alright. This can still work. We'll just carry on with our evening like he's not even here. We won't bring it up to Pidge unless she notices and says something."

"That guy freaking hates me! And Pidge, too!" I thought about all of Nathan's insecurities that came out of the woodwork that first month after the move. _'Will I ever be closer to you than him?'_ The words replayed in my mind and I felt another rush of anxiety. "He probably thinks I'm a homewrecker! Or... or something!"

"Guys! Act natural! Pidge is coming back!" Keith said in a hushed tone. "Hunk, we both know you're going to go for it anyway! You might as well get up!"

I thought about the way Pidge simply entering a room drew me in like a magnet. How impossible it would be to keep myself acting casual around her much longer than this night. How she'd told Nathan 'no.' No, he would never be closer.

Keith was right. So I sat up.

"What are you guys talking about?" Pidge slid into her seat with a puzzled smirk. Lance and Keith immediately struck up a faux conversation contrasting democracy and monarchy to unsuccessfully cover up the obvious awkward lull in the evening. They deliberately forced their eyes on each other and away from Nathan's general direction. Pidge raised her eyebrows and eyed my face, digging for information. She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder to them and shrugged as if to say 'what's that all about?'

Meanwhile I stared wide eyed at Pidge. "Uhh..." I rubbed my neck unable to articulate anything else. I couldn't stop thinking about the stiff at the bar.

"Are you guys still doing alright?" Jessica couldn't have had better timing. "Where'd your friends go? And Coran?" Her eyes landed on the empty chair behind the wad of napkins and she shifted her weight onto one leg as if to scold us.

"I think we're all ready for our next round of drinks." I took a breath and relaxed. "Shiro and Curtis took Coran home..." I said pointing apologetically to the napkins. "He doesn't come out and do this sort of thing as often as we do."

"Oh..." Jessica nodded with a sheepish smile. She looked a little disappointed. "You and him are roommates, right?" She looked at Lance and approached him with her hand outstretched. A folded piece of receipt paper was stuck between her middle and index finger.

"Yeah, we are." Lance nodded and lightly plucked the paper from her hand, confused while Keith leaned over his shoulder with his brows knitted together.

Jessica blushed and crossed her arms and started backing away. "Will you... have him call me?"

"Uhhh..." Lance looked at the paper and the light came on in his eyes. "Yes! Yes. Coran would love to call you." He said to Jessica as she twirled around and headed back to the bar.

"Did Coran just get a date?" Pidge grabbed Lance's wrist and unfolded the paper in his hand. She slapped my arm, jumping in her seat. "Coran got a date and he's not even here!" The radio stopped playing and Pidge looked around surprised by the volume of her voice.

"Alright, Garrison City!" A man was standing in front of the mic with a guitar in his hands while the remaining band members took to the stage. "Are you ready for a good time!?"

I watched Pidge who's entire being had come alive with pure delight and somewhat reckless anticipation while she sipped her drink and waited for the band to begin to play.

_I know I am._

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The energy from the band gave the bar crowd a much appreciated second wind. The four of us shifted out of our original seats to huddle closer together around the end of the table so we could still hear each other over the band. We laughed and carried on. Lance, Keith, Pidge and I purposefully scrunched together elbow to elbow, knee to knee. We continually leaned over and into each other to speak into our neighbor's ears with raised voices. Each lean and comment was followed by more laughter as we momentarily lurched forward only to throw our shoulders back into our seats with glazed eyes and widespread grins. Breaking momentarily to down another sip or swig from the glasses and bottles that sat in the center of our sacred huddle.

Pidge's confidence radiated to me with every single smile. Every flash of her eyes she gave me. She became more and more laid-back as the evening wore on as evidenced from the way her hand kept finding its way to the top of my thigh. She'd plant it there just behind my knee every time she leaned in to talk into my ear. The later it got the longer her hand lingered there and the more comfortably she let herself rest against me.

I completely forgot myself. And I forgot Nathan. I leaned toward her every time she lent to me, letting her energy draw me in. Every touch of her hand sent new waves of butterflies through my body, sweet happy vibrations pulsing through me with the firing of each synapse. Eventually her hand never pulled away and I found myself sitting there, laughing. Bent over with my temple pressed to hers and my arm wrapped around the back of her chair.

And we stayed there.

Toward the end of the show, the lead singer received a tip that one of the middle aged ladies at the table next to ours was celebrating her birthday. We all cheered and laughed as he dedicated the next song to the birthday girl and said 'I don't normally sing songs like this.' The first few notes traveled through the air and Lance and Keith cheered in recognition. They each threw an arm over the other's shoulder and began to sway back and forth in unison, dancing along in their chairs.

"I love myself, I want you to love me. When I feel down, I want you above me. I search myself, I want you to find me. I forget myself, I want you to remind me. I don't want anybody else. When I think about you I touch myself..."

Keith had taken Lance's free hand in his and they continued to sway and sing along acting out flirtatious advances to one another. Pidge and I were dying laughing. I threw my head back with my hand over my face. Pidge's shoulder had been pressed firmly against my side for some time now and my arm rested over her shoulders, clutching her to me. She rest her head on my chest and laughed, turning to wipe mirthful tears on my sweater. When the song ended the band thanked the audience, wished one last 'happy birthday' to Shannon, and the radio began to play over the speakers again. "I'm about to pee myself." Pidge pulled herself away from me and squeezed past Lance. "I'll be right back."

I watched her walk away again but I didn't feel embarrassed this time. My eyes held wistfully on to her hips as she swayed across the floor. There seemed to be a little something extra in the way she rocked her hips and strut with her shoulders held back coolly and her chin up high. I couldn't see her face but I could still feel her smile reaching back to me. Her aura telling me she knew my eyes were glued to her and only her.

Keith leaned over Lance's lap and grabbed my wrist, shaking it. "Dude! She's totally in to you!"

I ducked my head and smiled, my face flushed. "You think so?"

"Hunk!" Lance threw his hands in the air. "She absolutely is! Are you telling me you honestly can't tell?!"

"I dunno! Yes...? No, I can." I laughed at myself. "It just feels too good to be true. But yeah, I feel it. And I see it."

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" Keith slapped the table with wide eyes. But he was too late getting our attention.

I felt a masculine hand on my shoulder and turned to see Nathan staring down at me. _You've gotta be kidding me._ His eyes were red and dull but nonetheless angry despite his inebriated state. "What the fuck is your problem, man?! You're making a move on my girl!"

"Dude! You dumped her!" Lance and I retorted in unison. I looked to Lance who nodded to me and I turned back to Nathan. "Exactly! She's not your girl anymore. And even then she can do whatever she wants."

I guess that wasn't what he wanted to hear because he started to yell. "Don't play dumb with me, Garrett! I saw the way you were with her from the bar!" Nathan took a step closer to me. I stood up calmly from the table and towered over him. His hand slid off my shoulder, but he held his ground. "You had your eyes on her the whole time. Didn't you? Ever since you broke your engagement to take the job."

"You and I both know that's not how it happened." I felt anger welling up in me at the insinuation that I purposefully placed myself between Nathan and Pidge. I'm a peaceful guy, but Nathan's animosity on an otherwise perfect night was getting under my skin.

Lance stood up beside me and glared at Nathan. Keith would have stood too, but he was a little too drunk to do so. He halfway lifted himself from his chair and leaned forward against the table to demonstrate his support. Nathan looked over the three of us and planted his hands on my chest with a forceful shove. "Fuck you."

He pushed me but I barely budged. I was still managing to maintain my composure but I saw Pidge emerge from the bathroom out of the corner of my eye. My heart sank when the joy left her face and I knew she saw him push me. She saw it and she came straight over to us, wedging herself between Lance and I to look Nathan dead in the eye. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I think you know what the fuck is wrong with me!" Nathan said. "You wanted to be with him the whole time! You know you did!"

"Dude, calm down." I put my hand on Nathan's shoulder and pushed him back. When he moved I stepped forward and positioned myself in front of Pidge before I lowered my arm. I really don't want her in the middle of this. She stood behind me peering around my arm with her hand holding my elbow so that she still made eye contact with Nathan. Nathan seemed to realize that I was protecting 'his girl' from him and he glared at me and spat at the floor in Pidge's direction. _Bad idea, man._ My body tensed as I clenched my fists. Pidge's grip tightened around my muscled arm when she felt me go rigid. Her other hand traveled quickly around my back as she clenched my sweater in her fist as a means to hold on to me.

And then it all broke down in slow motion. Nathan jabbed his finger in her face and his lips contorted around the words that garbled out of his throat.

"You're such a fucking slut!"

That was it. Like dropping a match in a barrel of lighter fluid. I don't remember thinking. Just doing. I wound my arm back and slammed my fist into the bone of his brow in a moment of pure, blacked-out rage. I came back to my senses when I heard Nathan's body go crashing down onto the table and chairs behind him. The sound of my friends yelling 'oh my god!' and middle aged ladies clapping and cheering for Hunk Garrett, the yellow paladin. Lance and Keith's jaws were dropped in shock. I looked wide-eyed to find Pidge still at my side. Still clenching my sweater and looking up at me in disbelief.

_God, I hope she doesn't hate me._

And she smiled. She smiled and I half-laughed in nervous relief when I saw the forgiveness in her eyes. I reached back to remove her hand from my sweater and laced my fingers through hers. "We better go!" I pulled her along after me and we began to run for the door. As we ran I yelled back over my shoulder to Lance, not daring to stop. "Close out my tab for me, buddy!"

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

We bolted out the door and kept running hand-in-hand as the pavement pounded away beneath our feet. We didn't stop until we rounded the corner of the street and felt certain that a drunken, probably black-eyed Nathan wouldn't catch up to us. Chests heaving and our faces flushed, we slouched with our backs against the painted brick of the local boutique and hung our heads to catch our breath. Pidge's hand was still clasped in mine when looked I over to her, still stunned. "I just punched Nathan."

Pidge coughed on the chilly fall air and let out a winded laugh. She squeezed my hand momentarily and then let go to stand in front of me. She put her hands on my waist as she moved in and I immediately stood upright to wrap my arms around her while she buried her face in my chest. "I can't believe you punched him!" She laughed before her tone took a serious note. "He was so terrible... Thank you..." Pidge became quiet as her breathing stabilized and she rested comfortably against me for support. I wished I could hear her thoughts.

"He can't talk to you like that." I lowered my chin to rest against her forehead. "No one can talk to you like that." Pidge nodded and hugged me tighter and I pulled her even closer till it felt like we were molded together. We stood there in the clear, still night holding each other while the bar fight replayed in our heads. It felt like she might've been holding her breath, but from what I could tell she wasn't crying. After some pause Pidge sighed in my arms signaling that she was 'okay' and I cleared my throat, breaking the silence. "So... Should we go home since we can't go back to the bar tonight? It's midnight..."

"No." Pidge pulled out of the hug and looked up to me. She looked pleading at first then her eyes softened. My hands slid down to hers and I gingerly held her fingertips on the tips of mine. "I'm not ready to go home yet." She laced her fingers between mine and lessened the space between us, tilting her head and grinning while she pushed the bad feelings away. _Same old Pidge._ "Are you hungry?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jessica is based off of a character from Flight of the Conchords. In the Leggy Blonde music video Murray (played by Rhys Darby who voices Coran) waits too long to express his feelings to Jessica from tech repaire. So I wanted to make a shout-out to FOTC.
> 
> The bar fight trope in this chapter is particularly funny to me. This last weekend my friend went to the bar with me and she looked around and said "this is a real bar! Like where fights break out!" And I laughed and told her how I've honestly never witnessed a bar fight, those only happen in movies. But I have seen a fight at almost every rock concert I've been to. It just tickled me.
> 
> Oh, and I was really nervous about this one because I had all of the characters together for the first time.
> 
> 4/11/19 UPDATE - So I trashed the original thing I wrote for part 11 and rewrote it and NOW it truly is almost done. Gonna be a longer chapter. I'm just finishing up the last bit of it and then revising as I go along. - Heart you, Vega.

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah. Please comment! I want to know your thoughts. I'm here to share and enjoy this fandom with you all. I started writing this story on Wattpad because (you know how going through rabbit holes on the internet can be) it just happened to be the first site I found. But I would really like to get to know the climate here. 
> 
> Also know that I'm loosely basing some of these themes on my own experiences with my ex boyfriends (not all of them where totally bad, but one or two in particular were) as well as the troubles I've had pinning down who I am and what I want from life and love.


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